On Tuesday night, a 38-year-old pregnant lady, who was reportedly denied access to the labour room, was forced to give birth on the floor of the corridor of Pathankot Civil Hospital, Punjab. Video footage of the lady and her newborn baby girl laying on the floor has also gone viral on social media. The video was also shared by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla.
Sach me Bhagwant Mann ji
— Shehzad Jai Hind (@Shehzad_Ind) September 29, 2022
“sada kaam bolta hai”
Twada karnama bol raha hai!
In Delhi it is no better! Ho-halla on Mohalla Clinics but where are the world class hospitals?
2/n pic.twitter.com/QsOPuOlK7p
The woman’s husband can also be heard in the video alleging that the attendants threw them out of the labour room. Presumably, other patients in the hospital recorded the video. The person who was shooting the video can also be heard alleging that the senior medical officer (SMO) at the hospital refused to admit the pregnant patient.
The incident happened on Tuesday, September 27, at around 11:30 PM when Jangi Lal (51), a labourer from Pipli Mohalla in Pathankot, used the 108-Ambulance service to bring her pregnant wife to the hospital.
“My wife was suffering from labour pain and I took her there for the delivery. Instead of admitting my wife, the hospital staff behaved rudely and closed the labour room’s doors. They asked me to take my wife to Amritsar. The driver of the ambulance also requested the staff to admit my wife, but to no avail,” Jangi Lal said while talking to Hindustan Times.
“It was not possible for me to take my wife to Amritsar during the night. I was left with no other option, but to depend on the mercy of the hospital staff. My wife was crying in pain while lying on the floor, but no staff member came to provide us even a bed,” he further said.
The victim’s husband appealed that the hospital workers and administration be held accountable for their heinous behaviour. “I may have lost my wife and the baby’s life due to the inhumane behaviour of the medical staff,” he stated. He further said that staff workers threatened to call the police if they did not leave the facility.
Dr Sunil Chand, the hospital’s senior medical officer (SMO), rejected the charges about the staff’s poor attitude but confirmed that the woman had given birth on the floor. “The woman was nine months pregnant, but she had never had her medical tests and ultrasound,” he explained.
“As soon as they came to the hospital, we asked them to conduct medical tests required for delivery, from a lab which is in tie-up with us for giving free service, but the woman’s husband refused this. He was in an inebriated state and even refused to let his wife be admitted to the labour room,” he further said. Dr Sunil stated that they were attempting to find the victim for more healthcare coverage, but the woman’s husband was not answering their calls.
