A woman who went into labour while she was on her way to hospital lost her newborn child allegedly due to lack of stretchers late on Monday night. An “out-of-order” elevator at Aurangabad’s Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) further forced her to climb the stairs to reach the labour room.
The furore over the alleged negligence prompted the State Health Ministry on Wednesday to order a probe. “It is an unfortunate incident and we are gathering details about what transpired. I have ordered a probe and if the authorities are found guilty, they will be investigated against,” said State Health Minister Eknath Shinde.
According to reports, the woman, a resident of neighbouring Jalna district, was with her mother in Aurangabad city when she started experiencing labour pains. Her relatives said there were no ward boys or stretchers at GMCH when they reached the hospital. The lift also was not working, forcing her to climb the stairs to reach the labour room on the third floor.
Her relatives allege that she delivered the child while climbing the stairs and that the baby slipped, fell on the floor, and died.
However, GMCH Medical Superintendent Kailash Jine, while acknowledging the shortage of stretchers, said it could not be confirmed whether the baby indeed slipped on the floor and died due to injuries.
Meanwhile, the incident drew sharp condemnation from the opposition Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Congress.
“This is extremely shocking…the sheer ineptness of the GMCH has resulted in a traumatic experience for the lady and her family. Unless the government takes stern action against the hospital, the Congress will agitate on the streets,” said Abdul Sattar, Congress MLA from Sillod in Aurangabad.
“It appears that the State Government’s medical provision system is on a ventilator,” said NCP spokeperson Chitra Wagh.
Ms. Wagh said that the GCMH was notorious for its decrepit instrumentation and lack of amenities and that this incident had merely underscored its dysfunctional state once again.
“The hospital is frequently short of medicines due to lack of governmental funds while its two CT scan machines are out of order. At least 30 of its 84 ventilators are not serviceable,” Ms. Wagh said, hitting out at the inefficiency of the ruling BJP government and its health schemes for the poor.
