Pregnant woman delivers on roadside after alleged Pune Hospital denial; NCW takes cognisance

Meanwhile, the National Commission for Women (NCW) has taken suo motu cognisance of the matter following reports that the woman was allegedly denied admission at Shirur Rural Hospital, leading to the roadside delivery.

A video of the incident, widely shared on social media, showed several women creating a temporary barrier using dupattas to maintain privacy while the delivery took place in the open. During the tense moments, a doctor present at the scene stepped in to assist and was later seen holding the newborn, prompting relief and applause from those gathered. 

The woman was experiencing intense labour pain and collapsed on the road. According to a social media page, the Indian Doctor, Dr Pote, stated, “The situation was extremely critical. The mother was exhausted and severely anaemic, and there was simply no time to move her elsewhere immediately. Those first few minutes were tense because the baby was not responding initially, but fortunately, he began crying after emergency care was provided." 

The incident gained attention after Advocate Yashomati Thakur shared a post on 'X' stating that, in Pune district's Shirur, the incident took place, and as soon as Dr. Sunita Pote learned of this incident, she rushed to the woman's aid. Considering the difficult situation of the newborn and the mother on the road, she performed the delivery on the road and saved the mother and the baby boy. 

“Doctors Sunita Pote and Sanket Ghode, through their dedication to patient service and humanity, have given life to a newborn today. The praise for these two doctors and the blood bank that provided a free blood unit to the mother is still not enough. In fact, the woman in question had gone to the government hospital four days earlier. However, it is understood that she was denied treatment due to the lack of a report,” the post added.

The advocate alleged that the Mahayuti government is not at all serious about the health of pregnant mothers, breastfeeding mothers, and newborns from poor families. In this case, she requested Women and Child Development Minister Aditi Tatkare and Public Health Minister Prakash Abitkar to immediately investigate this matter. 

Taking cognizance of the incident, the National Commission for Women has demanded a detailed Action Taken Report within 7 days. “The incident, where timely intervention by local citizens and a passing doctor helped save both the mother and newborn, highlights serious gaps in emergency maternal healthcare and institutional delivery services,” the commission mentioned. 

The Commission has expressed deep concern, stating that every woman has the right to a safe, dignified, and institutional delivery, and forcing a woman to give birth in a public space is a serious violation of her right to reproductive health, privacy, and dignity.  

The Hon’ble Chairperson has directed the District Collector, Pune and the Principal Secretary, Public Health, Government of Maharashtra, to investigate the systemic lapses, fix accountability for negligence, ensure proper postnatal care for the mother and child, and strengthen maternal healthcare infrastructure to prevent such incidents.