Kerala: Pregnant Woman Loses Unborn Twins After Multiple Hospitals Turn Her Away

A pregnant woman in Kerala’s Malappuram region lost her unborn twins on Sunday after multiple hospitals reportedly denied her treatment due to a Coronavirus scare. Kozhikode Medical College Hospital was the only one that admitted the woman on Sunday evening. However, the unborn twins died after doctors performed an emergency C- Section too late. Health Minister KK Shailaja condemned the incident and ordered the health secretary to probe the matter.

As per News18, NC Sherief, the woman’s husband, tried to admit his wife to a hospital for around 14 hours but faced repeated rejections. He said, “I took my wife Shahala to Manjeri medical college with severe pain at around 4.30 am on Saturday. But after going to several hospitals she finally got treatment only around 6.30 pm."

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What You Should Know: 

• A pregnant woman in Kerala lost her unborn twins on Sunday after multiple hospitals reportedly refused to treat her citing Coronavirus.
• Kozhikode medical college hospital was the only hospital that admitted the woman on Sunday evening.
• However, the unborn twins died after doctors performed an emergency C-Section too late.
• Health Minister KK Shailaja condemned the incident and ordered the health secretary to probe the matter.

Pregnant Woman Denied Treatment

NC Sherief said that Manjeri Medical College, the couple’s first stop in the early hours of Saturday, had denied them treatment saying that it was a Covid-19 hospital. They referred the pregnant woman to another hospital, though she was already experiencing labour pain. Thereafter, the couple went to the Kottaparamba Government Hospital in Kozhikode district, but couldn’t find a gynaecologist there. Amidst all this, Sherief said that he also contacted other private hospitals which insisted on an RT-PCR test to admit his wife.

Finally, KMCT Hospital, Mukkam, agreed to admit the pregnant woman but referred her to the Kozhikode Medical College after performing a scan. The C-section was performed at the latter hospital.

Also Read: Manipur: A 20-Year-Old Pregnant Woman Dies, Five Hospitals Denied Her Admission

Private Hospitals Deny Government Approved Antigen Test

Sherief admitted that his wife had tested positive for Covid-19 in early September. However, she tested negative on September 15 in an antigen test and came back home. Even so, all the private hospitals that the couple visited on Sunday reportedly refused to consider the antigen test results and insisted upon RT-PCR test results.

Furthermore, Sherief said that he first tried to admit his wife to a private hospital in Edavanna on Friday night. However, they reportedly denied her treatment, citing Coronavirus and refused to consider the antigen test result.

As per The News Minute, the family has sought action against the Manjeri Government Hospital for refusing to accept the pregnant woman’s COVID-19 recovery certificate. As a result, Malappuram District Medical Officer (DMO), health, Dr K Sakeena, has asked the hospital's superintendent to submit a report about the case.

PC: MediaNews4U

Also Read: Things Pregnant Women Should Know During COVID-19

Tarini Gandhiok is an intern with SheThePeople.TV