Gynaecologists Booked after 4 Women Suffer Kidney Failure Post C-Sections, 2 die

Ahmedabad: Accused of medical negligence, two gynaecologists attached with a Junagadh-based private hospital were booked late Tuesday on charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder.

They were booked after four women, who underwent caesarean section operations by the doctors, suffered kidney failures that led to the death of two women last year.

Those two gynecologists at the private hospital along with the members of the hospital management were booked by Junagadh city B Division police station after a complaint was lodged by a man, based in Junagadh, whose wife suffered the issue.

Police have booked them under sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 308 (attempting culpable homicide) and 114 (abettor present when offence is committed) of the Indian Penal Code.

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As per the latest media report by Indian Express, the complainant alleged that his wife was among the four women who gave birth through caesarean section at the hospital last May and contracted infection, leading to kidney failure. The complainant's wife gave birth on May 30. Around the same time, the other deceased, who hailed from Zinzri village in Junagadh district also gave birth.

The Daily has reported that the FIR stated that after his wife's death on September 12, 2023, the complainant filed a complaint at C Division police station in Junagadh. Following this, the police launched an inquiry after registering a case of accidental death on September 13.

Consequently, on September 29, the complainant, who is working as a casual labourer, along with the husband of three other women who suffered kidney failure, applied with the Junagadh Chief District Health Officer (CDHO) Dr. Manoj Sutariya and demanded action against the hospital.

Following this, the State Government set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the matter and eventually in May 2024, the CDHO handed over a copy of the SIT report to the complainant.

"The report concluded that the incident (of kidney failure) had happened due to negligence of doctors and hospital management," stated the FIR.

Commenting on the matter, Junagadh Superintendent of Police Harshad Mehta told The Indian Express that the families of the victims had approached the police earlier also and sought an FIR against the doctors and the hospital. 

"However, as per Supreme Court guidelines, police can’t register an FIR against doctors on the basis of a complaint filed by a patient’s family members alleging negligence during treatment. But now that an SIT of experts has probed the incident and submitted its findings, we have booked the doctors and the members of the hospital management," he added.

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