Woman Delivers outside Safdarjung hospital, Doctors held responsible-5 suspended

New Delhi: Delhi's Safdarjung Hospital has become a centre of controversy, after a woman delivered in the open outside the gates of the hospital after allegedly being denied admission. The doctors on the other hand have pointed out that the patient who had come the evening earlier was offered admission, but she did not return with the admission papers and got admitted to the facility. 

In the video doing rounds on social media, some women are seen standing around a pregnant woman with a saree, covering her during the delivery outside Safdarjung Hospital's emergency wing.

Rabia Singh, a lawyer, who saw Poonam crying in pain right before she gave birth, told Hindustan Times, "When she felt that the baby was crowning, she sat down exactly where she was standing — besides a trash can. I and some other attendees who were with other patients helped her. Some women wrapped their sarees and dupattas around her to curtain the area off".

The woman's relatives are heard alleging that the hospital did not admit her on Monday and she spent the night outside the emergency department. The video and the incident soon became viral on social media as well as mainstream media, drawing the ire of the general public as well as the Delhi Commission of Women which took suo motu cognizance of the matter.

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Hospital and Doctors stand

In a statement informing about the incident, the hospital informed that the patient was offered admission but she did not return with the admission papers. It also added that there were six doctors posted in the Gynaecology department, including two Senior residents and further claimed that a total of 101 patients had been attended by the doctors.

"The patient is currently admitted in LR-II and the baby, weighing 1.4 kg, is admitted in nursery 9 in view of low birth weight. Both are in stable condition. There are six doctors, including two Senior Residents (SR), posted in the Gynae Receiving Room round the clock," it said.

"As Safdarjung Hospital has a no-refusal policy, she was examined by the senior resident on duty at 5:45 pm on the same day and her condition was found to be 33+6 weeks gestation with preeclampsia in early labour, the statement said. The patient was offered admission but she did not return with the admission papers, it said. The next day, the senior resident on morning Gynae Receiving Room (GRR) duty was informed that a patient was delivering her baby outside," it added.

A team from the GRR was dispatched immediately and the patient's delivery was taken care of, the hospital said.

The Union health minister soon sought a report from Safdarjung Hospital on the matter.

The Centre-run Safdarjung Hospital debarred five doctors from duty and issued show cause notices to five others following a probe into the matter.

The hospital also issued show cause notices to five doctors -- a professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, a chief medical officer, a PG third-year doctor, a PG first-year doctor and an intern -- asking them to explain as to why action should not be taken against them.

"The matter has been viewed seriously by the administration. In view of the above, you are directed to give your explanation within 24 hours of receipt of this show cause notice that why necessary disciplinary action may not be initiated against you," the notices read.

The Delhi Commission for women has sought the following information from the Safdarjung Hospital latest by 25.07.2022:

a. Date and time of the first visit of the pregnant lady to the hospital. Please provide a copy of the relevant documents, if any.

b. Reasons, if any, for the refusal of admission to the lady despite her pregnancy. Please provide a copy of the relevant documents, if any.

c. Date and time since when the lady had been lying outside the hospital along with the timeline of the complete sequence of events. Please provide a copy of the relevant documents, if any.

d. Did the hospital staff or doctors assist the lady in her delivery outside the hospital building? If not, please provide reasons for the same.

e. Copy of Standard Operating Protocols followed when a patient is in a state of emergency right outside the building of the hospital.

f. Copy of the enquiry report of the hospital in the matter.

g. Details of staff responsible for the alleged negligence along with the action taken against them.

h. Detailed action taken report in the matter.

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