Relatives of a 25-year-old woman staged a protest in front of a private hospital in the city, accusing a senior doctor of guiding the nursing staff through Whatsapp to attend her labour.
The infant, a female baby, was later shifted to a multi-speciality hospital, where its condition remains critical, they claimed.
The relatives alleged that the nursing staff at Genesis Royal Infirmary at Puliyakulam performed the delivery of the baby of M. Nithya, wife of S. Rangaraj from Rathinapuri, with negligence and caused risks to the health of child.
K. Kannan, advocate and friend of Mr. Rangaraj, said Ms. Nithya had been consulting gynaecologist and obstetrician of the hospital, Chandrakala Magudapathi, during pregnancy.
“She got admitted to the hospital on May 31on the advice of the doctor that day. In earlier consultations, the doctor had said that the delivery would be performed at another private hospital,” Mr. Kannan said.
“With no doctor around when the woman developed labour in the early hours of June 3, the nursing staff performed the delivery, guided by Dr. Magudapathi through WhatsApp. There was heavy blood and placenta loss. The doctor came later and the mother and the child had to be shifted to Kovai Medical Center and Hospital (KMCH) due to child developing breathlessness,” alleged Mr. Kannan.
When contacted by The Hindu , Dr. Magudapathi denied the allegations and said it was she who had performed the delivery and not the nursing staff.
“The woman had a placental abruption (placenta detaching from the uterus) which led to dropping of the baby's heart rate. The delivery was performed as the abruption could have worsened the condition. A paediatrician present at the time of delivery resuscitated the newborn and immediately shifted it to KMCH where cooling therapy facility is available,” she said.
Mr. Kannan said that Ramanathapuram police have issued a Community Service Registry receipt on a complaint lodged against the hospital. A complaint would be lodged with the District Collector on Thursday as the hospital was functioning while construction works were on. “A complaint will also be submitted to the State Medical Council,” he said.
Dr. Magudapathi claimed that the hospital was functioning with all necessary permits and it had clearance to operate from the ground floor and first floor while construction works for the remaining floors were going on.
