Pregnant Woman dies at Quack Clinic in Chhattisgarh, triggers outrage

Balodabazar: A 26-year-old pregnant woman died under suspicious circumstances at the clinic of an unqualified practitioner in Chhattisgarh’s Balodabazar district, sparking outrage and renewed debate over the unchecked practice of “quacks” in rural India. 

According to the news reports, the deceased, who was four months pregnant, had visited the clinic of the self-styled practitioner for treatment of a cold and cough. Married in 2022, she already had a two-year-old son, and this was her second pregnancy. On Thursday, she first visited the clinic in Chherkadih Jara village on foot but returned home when the practitioner, who also serves as the village sarpanch, was unavailable. Later, after being informed that he had returned, she went back to the clinic.

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However, officials at the CHC stated that she had already died before arrival. Dr. Pankaj Verma, the Block Medical Officer, said blood and froth were seen coming from her nose, signs suggestive of a severe acute medical event. He also confirmed that the accused was present when the body was brought in.

Speaking to Dainik Jagran, Hospital officials at Palaria CHC said the body arrived around 2 pm on Thursday, and the relatives stayed at the hospital for about four hours, discussing the situation. Around 6 pm, the family submitted a written application refusing a postmortem, after which the body was handed over to them.

No formal police complaint has been filed at the Palaria police station, and no FIR has been registered so far.

The case has drawn particular attention because the accused has publicly admitted that he does not hold any medical degree. He has reportedly been treating patients for nearly 17 years without formal qualifications.

Residents allege that such unqualified practitioners, often referred to as “zhola chhap” doctors, operate freely due to a shortage of MBBS doctors, long distances to functional health centres, and gaps in rural healthcare delivery. In many villages, they are the first point of contact for minor illnesses, despite lacking formal training.

The patient’s mother-in-law said that when her daughter-in-law did not return home for a long time, she went to the doctor’s clinic and found Indu lying unconscious on her husband’s lap. She described the scene as shocking and terrifying, and alleged that the quack’s treatment had directly led to the death, reports Dainik Jagran.

The Balodabazar case is not an isolated one. In recent years, Chhattisgarh has reported multiple deaths linked to unqualified medical practitioners. In Balod district, a young man died after allegedly receiving multiple injections for haemorrhoids from a quack, leading to severe complications. In another case in Janjgir-Champa, a self-styled practitioner was sentenced to seven years in jail after a pregnant woman died following an allegedly improper injection. 

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