Denied Help, Woman Delivers Baby On Vegetable Cart; Probe Launched

In a shocking incident, 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. 

What happened

According to the reports, 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.

The husband said, "It was God who saved them. I considered doctors and hospital staff as God. But after last night's events, I have lost faith in these hospital staff."

When the woman gave birth, the entire hospital was panicked. The news spread like fire and the doctors immediately admitted the woman and the baby into the ward. 

Investigation and action against the wrong 

The matter has been reported to the state health minister Anil Vij who ordered a thorough investigation. He said that the guilty will be punished. He also added, "This information has to be checked. We provide ambulances and free delivery service. So whether they were informed or not – I will get everything investigated. If there has been any negligence, action will be taken."

The hospital administration has also decided to take action against the incident. Sangeeta Singla, the Principal Medical Officer of the city's Civil Hospital, said that a committee has been formed to investigate the issue. The reports will be available in a couple of days. 

She further said that if someone is found guilty appropriate actions will be taken. "We will give them a warning. Why the special case was not checked. If the patient was in such a state that she delivered on arrival, the staff on duty -- doctors, nurses -- should have been there to attend to her," Singla said. 

Similar incidents reported earlier

This is not the first time that negligence of the hospital has led to such dire consequences. 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.

Just a few days ago, 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.

What do these incidents show? Do our medical facilities need more advancements? Do they need to double their efforts and team in serving people without any kind of discrimination? What do you think?