Gujarat: Doctor accused of misidentifying gender, antenatal care lapses

Ahmedabad: A doctor is facing legal scrutiny after being accused of serious lapses in antenatal care, including allegedly misidentifying a newborn's gender and failing to act on high-risk prenatal test results.

The petitioner has approached the Gujarat High Court, alleging that doctors at a local maternity and nursing home failed to conduct essential screenings, ignored warning signs in diagnostic reports, and did not appropriately counsel her regarding potential fetal abnormalities, including Down Syndrome. She has also challenged the action taken by the Gujarat Medical Council, which, despite getting a report from an expert committee that reportedly fixing responsibility, issued only a caution to the practitioners. The petitioner is seeking stricter action through judicial intervention.

Ahmedabad Mirror reported that the woman conceived in late 2021 and consulted the doctors for routine antenatal care. According to her complaint, she repeatedly reported symptoms such as low blood pressure and requested regular monitoring, which were allegedly dismissed as routine pregnancy-related issues. She also alleged that the Nuchal Translucency (NT) scan, which is considered critical in early detection of chromosomal abnormalities and fetal structural concerns, was not performed.

The petition states that when she pressed for further evaluation, a Triple Marker Test was eventually conducted. The results reportedly indicated a high-risk pregnancy. However, she has alleged that the findings were ignored and she was not informed about it properly. The woman delivered in May 2022, and the doctors informed the couple that a girl with Down Syndrome had been born.

After discharge, the parents observed a growth in the baby’s genital region and sought consultation from other specialists. Further testing reportedly confirmed that the child was male. The child was also diagnosed with certain medical complications, including two cardiac septal defects, pulmonary fluid accumulation, and epilepsy. The petitioner has argued that had she been properly informed about the high-risk screening results, she would have considered termination of pregnancy in accordance with legal provisions.

Following this, the woman approached the police, a consumer forum, and the state medical council. An expert committee was constituted by the council, and according to the petition, its report fixed responsibility on the doctors for negligence. Despite this, the council allegedly issued only a warning to the practitioners. The petitioner has also contended that she was not granted an opportunity of hearing during the council’s proceedings.

The High Court has issued notices to the concerned doctors and medical regulatory authorities, and the matter is scheduled for hearing on March 9.