Hospital Denies Entry To Woman In Labour Pain - It’s Not The First Time

A state-run hospital in Jaipur denied admission to a pregnant woman. The woman who was facing severe labour pain was forced to give birth near the hospital's entrance. However, on April 4, the Rajasthan government suspended three doctors from the hospital for their negligence. This is not the first time that pregnant women have undergone such adversities due to the hospital's negligence.

As per the reports, Shubhra Singh, additional chief secretary of the medical education department, said that as soon as the incident came to light, the department constituted an inquiry committee with immediate effect. The incident happened in Kanwatia Hospital in Jaipur. Three resident doctors namely, Kusum Saini, Neha Rajawat and Manoj, have been suspended for "serious negligence and insensitivity". 

Moreover, the hospital superintendent, Dr Rajendra Singh Tanwar, has also received a show cause notice for negligence. 

Other similar incidents reported in the recent months

A woman was forced to give birth to a baby on a vegetable cart near the premises of a government-run district hospital in Haryana's Ambala after allegedly being denied help from doctors. On a chilly evening of January 9, the woman had to deliver her baby outside the hospital because allegedly the doctors didn't respond to her husband's calls for help. 

The husband and the wife are the resident of Dapper, a city in Punjab's Mohali district. He somehow managed to bring his pregnant wife to the hospital in Haryana. However, he alleged that no one even cared to bring a stretcher. Ultimately, the woman had to give birth on the streets near the hospital gates.

 In July last year, a woman gave birth to a baby outside the maternity ward of the Gurugram Civil Hospital. She was denied admission even after waiting for around 12 hours before delivering the baby.

Moreover in August 2023, a tribal woman in Telangana's Nirmal district was forced to give birth on the streets because the ambulance was delayed and did not reach the spot on time.

In January, a woman in Odisha had to give birth to her baby at the back of a rickshaw trolley because the ambulance failed to reach her residence on time.

The risks women can face due to unsupervised deliveries

Why are such incidents being reported so frequently? Why are hospitals and doctors not listening to the cries of pregnant women? Aren't the hospitals and doctors responsible for providing medical help and care to everyone without any bias? Do doctors not know the consequences of such negligence? 

Women who give birth without a doctor's supervision often suffer from health issues that can be fatal. In February, a pregnant woman from Thiruvananthapuram died of excessive bleeding after choosing for home birth. The baby too didn't survive during delivery. She was identified as Shameera Beevi, 36, and was a resident of Palakkad. Even though, in this case, the husband was guilty as he didn't let the woman go to the hospital for the delivery. However, the danger that unsupervised deliveries can cause to women cannot be denied. 

How hospitals have turned into business markets

Usually, in today's world of capitalism, everything is measured in terms of money. Even hospitals have become places that derive money and can do anything for profit. Illegal abortions, sex-determination, foeticide and even organ smuggling are happening in reputed hospitals. A human life is easily sacrificed by hospitals for money. Aren't the hospitals and the resident doctors ashamed of practising such illegal activities and committing negligence? Isn't the purpose of being a doctor to save human lives?

Sometimes, the hospitals are too busy and packed that many patients do not get admissions. But why should patients bear the brunt of the lack of infrastructure? Shouldn't governments and even private owners invest in making more hospitals? 

Views expressed are the author's own.