Woman delivers baby in corridor: Pathankot civil Hospital submits probe report

Pathankot: Days after a pregnant woman was allegedly forced to give birth in Pathankot civil hospital's corridor, the hospital authorities have completed their investigation of the incident and submitted their report to the state government.

A 38-year-old woman was denied admission to the labor room and forced to give birth to her baby girl on the floor of the Pathankot civil hospital's corridor on the night of 27th September 2022. 

Medical Dialogues team had earlier reported that the Punjab Health Minister Chetan Singh Jauramajra had ordered to set up of a four-member committee to probe the matter after the family members of the woman raised complaints. The committee comprises Dr. Raj Kumar, district family welfare officer, Dr. Vandana Kundal, deputy medical commissioner, Dr. Harnavneet, gynaecologist; and Dr Bindu Gupta, senior medical officer. 

Also Read:Woman delivers baby in Pathankot Hospital's corridor, Punjab Health Minister orders probe

The report recommended giving a warning to a gynecologist, who is already on her way out and is serving her three-month notice period, as per a media report in the Tribune India. Further, it directed the transfer of a Medical Officer with the National Health Mission the to the Narot Jaimal Singh hospital. In addition to that, various staff members and nurses have been shifted from the labour room to other wards. 

A senior doctor said, "There were no unexpected twists and turns to the script. From the first day itself, it was written on the wall that the hospital will not take any drastic action against its own employees. And this is precisely what has happened." 

Talking about Civil Surgeon Dr Rubinder Kaur, who tried to bring back the situation to normal after the incident, a staff member said, "From the very first day, she did not allow the circumstances to overwhelm her staff." Earlier, when a press note had emerged that blamed the media for discouraging the staff over the incident, Dr Kaur had come forward to clarify that it was not an official press note. 

Clarifying his remarks on conducting a separate probe, Deputy Commissioner (DC) Harbir Singh said, "There is no logic in holding multiple probes. It will only add to the confusion." The Punjab Health Minister had earlier warned of taking appropriate disciplinary action against those found guilty in the Pathankot case. 

Meanwhile, the Pathankot incident has now resulted in health officials conducting surprise inspections at hospitals during nighttime. It has been reported that health department officials have already visited many health facilities in the state. Patiala acting Civil Surgeon Dr Sandeep Kaur, said: "Nodal officers have been appointed to conduct surprise checks at the hospitals during the night duty. Any delay and negligence in providing health services will not be tolerated at any cost."