Ghasipura: A 23-year-old woman died soon after childbirth at the sub-divisional hospital in Anandapur, with her family blaming negligence on the part of hospital staffers for her death.
The woman was identified as Renubala Sahu (23), wife of Bharat Sahu of Belabahali village under Ghasipura police jurisdiction.
Tension flared at the hospital after news of the incident broke. Relatives of the woman demanded the arrest of the nurses and doctors responsible for her death. Based on a complaint lodged by villagers, police registered a case and sent her body for post-mortem in the presence of Ghasipura tehsildar Hemalata Bahalia, who is also magistrate in-charge.
According to sources, Renubala was admitted to Anandapur hospital at 12 am Saturday after she went into labour. The on-duty nurses advised her attendants to admit Renubala to hospital.
After a long wait, the doctor attended to her at 1 pm Sunday, but disappeared soon after asking her to be ready for delivery. Renubala’s labour pains increased and her attendants approached the doctor asking him to come to the hospital, but the doctor did not turn up.
Frantic family members then made arrangements to rush Renubala to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack. But that however was not possible as Renubala was in no shape for the journey.
Family members said the on-duty nurses finally took it upon themselves to conduct the delivery as there was no trace of the doctor. To add to the woman’s woes, Renubala was asked to climb upstairs to her room after the delivery. The severe pain took a toll on Renubala and her health condition became critical thereafter. However, she was not treated for the next two hours as there was still no sign of the doctor.
Later, Renubala was administered drips and provided treatment, but by that time her condition had worsened. Hospital authorities then referred her to SCB Medical College and Hospital. However, Renubala breathed her last before she could board the ambulance that was to take her there.
Locals came forward to allege that the obstetrics and gynaecology department of the hospital has been paralysed due to the shoddy work ethics of the doctors of the department. Several maternal fatalities were reported from this hospital due to medical negligence but that has failed to jolt the doctors out of their apathy, as they continue to spend most of their time in their private clinics rather than attending to patients at the hospital. Most of the time, deliveries are conducted by doctors of other departments such as paediatricians, orthopedics and ophthalmologists. PNN
