Gynaecologist Issued notice for allegedly denying treatment to Pregnant woman, who delivered stillborn in ambulance

Mumbai: Facing the allegation of denying treatment to a pregnant woman from adivasi community, a gynaecologist at Central Ulhasnagar Hospital, Thane has been issued a show-cause notice by the Chief Civil Surgeon of the hospital.

Asking the gynaecologist, Dr. Dalwai to file a reply within 24 hours, the show-cause letter stated, “It should be noted that if the disclosure is not received within the prescribed period, disciplinary action will be proposed against you.”

The show-cause notice has been issued after the concerned woman delivered a stillborn baby in a private ambulance on March 20, after being turned away by two government-run hospitals in the State. 

After suffering for more than 12 hours with her complicated labour, the woman ultimately delivered a stillborn boy inside the ambulance when she was on her way to the third hospital.

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As per the latest media report by the Times of India, the matter came to light when a local activist wrote to the health minister Tanaji Sawant and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on behalf of the 30-year-old woman, who lives with her family in Kadav village of Neral.

Suffering from labour pain, the woman rushed to the local sub-district hospital in Karjat at around 8 am on March 21. However, the doctors referred to the patient to the state-run Central Hospital in Ulhasnagar as they claimed that they did not have the required infrastructure for operating on the patient with complicated labour.

The daily adds that the baby had passed stool inside the womb of the mother. This could happen when the infant is past the due date. In around 10% of such cases, there is a possibility that the child breathes some of the meconium or stool, which ultimately can result in death if proper medical intervention is not received immediately.

Explaining what she had to face, the victim patient told Mid Day, “On March 20 morning, my husband Vithal took me to the Sub-district government hospital at Karjat after I experienced pain. We reached the hospital around 9 am and the doctor there examined me and said the baby had passed stool inside the womb, and they would have to operate. The doctor said the baby might need to be kept in a NICU and they didn’t have the facility. They referred us to Ulhasnagar government hospital.”

After being referred from the sub-district hospital, the patient was admitted to the Central Hospital by 1 pm. However, the staff of the hospital expressed their helplessness and referred the patient to Thane Civil Hospital.

The local activist Prabhakar Gangavne referred to the harassment faced by the patient and her husband and mother in the letter directed to the Health Minister and Chief Minister of the State.

Commenting on this, he told TOI, "The family was kept waiting by the Ulhasnagar hospital till late evening even as the woman was writhing in pain. The husband requested a private ambulance driver to ferry his wife to Thane, but realised he didn't have money to pay for the ride."

Even though the patient arranged money online from a family friend and managed to reserve a bed at Thane Municipal Corporation-run Kalwa hospital, by the time they reached Kalwa, the patient had already delivered a stillborn baby inside the ambulance.

“Around 10.30 am a government ambulance came and at around 12 pm we reached the Ulhasnagar hospital in it. There the doctor saw the referral paper and admitted me. After that, around 5 pm, the doctor told us to move to a government hospital at Kalwa without stating the reason. As I was in pain my husband begged the doctor to deliver the baby there but the doctors refused and told us to leave. My husband called the 108 ambulance at around 5.30 pm but when it did not come till 8pm my husband requested one Mahesh Gangavane there to provide a private ambulance. As we were heading towards Kalwa hospital around 8.30pm I delivered in the ambulance but my baby was not alive,” the patient told Mid Day.

“My daughter suffered for 12 hours but couldn’t get treatment at both hospitals due to lack of infrastructure. We don’t have money to go to a private hospital. What we want is action against both the hospitals and administration. We want better facilities at rural hospitals so no one else suffers our fate,” added her mother.

Commenting on the issue, the in-charge of Karjat sub-district hospital, Dr. Manoj Bansode told TOI, "The woman was brought in with meconium and as we neither have advanced facilities nor neo-natal intensive care unit to handle such cases, the on-duty doctor referred her to the Ulhasnagar facility which is better equipped." He further mentioned that he has sought information from the staff in this regard. 

Meanwhile, a doctor from the Kalwa hospital informed the daily that the patient had been brought in a critical condition. "A stillborn baby had already been delivered during transit in the ambulance. We admitted her immediately and discharged her later after ascertaining her well-being. The woman was referred from the Ulhasnagar hospital after they observed abnormal heartbeats," added the doctor.

Mid Day adds that Chief civil surgeon Dr. Manohar Bansode has issued a show-cause notice to the gynaecologist of Central Ulhasnagar Hospital, Dr Kasam Dalwai asking him to file a reply within 24 hours.

Explaining the situation, a senior official at Ulhasnagar hospital told Mid Day, “The day on which the victim came was the last day of strike for the old pension scheme. So staff was not present. This could be one of the reasons she was asked to move to the Kalwa hospital.”

However, several local residents have complained that for the last few days, the hospital had been transferring most of the patients to Kalwa. Taking note of the situation, Shiv Sena MLA from Karjat Constituency Mahendra Thorve added, “We will seek the details and I will also speak to the local hospital authorities about the lapses. The matter should be investigated.”

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