MBBS doctors performing C-sections in private hospitals, PIL Filed in MP High Court seeking Probe

Bhopal: Raising serious concerns about the practice of unqualified MBBS doctors performing caesarean section deliveries in private hospitals across the state, a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed in the principal bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court at Jabalpur seeking a high-level probe into the matter. 

The PIL, driven by Vijay Bajaj and his advocate Aditya Singh sought a thorough investigation into the regular performance of C-section procedures in private hospitals across the state and also requested an inquiry into the reasons why MBBS doctors, rather than qualified gynecologists, are performing these procedures.

The PIL follows a complaint made to the Harda district collector, which claimed that 100 C-section procedures were performed in a private hospital in Harda by MBBS doctors. The complaint was also forwarded to the Madhya Pradesh Medical Council in Bhopal, which subsequently referred the case to the Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO) of Harda.

Also read- BAMS Doctor Performs Delivery At Patiala Nursing Home, Patient Dies Of Postpartum Haemorrhage

As per the latest Free Press Journal news report, Adv Aditya Singh said, “We have cited an example of Harda. This is not a lone case; there are many such hospitals in the state where MBBS doctors are performing C-section procedures which only specialists are authorized to perform. We have demanded a high-level probe into the matter.”

Medical Dialogues team had earlier reported a similar incident where a BAMS (Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery) doctor allegedly conducted delivery of a 31-year-old patient at a private nursing home in Patiala instead of a gynaecologist following which the patient reportedly died from postpartum haemorrhage. 

There are reportedly more cases where MBBS doctors perform instead of gynaecologists, the PIL further sought detailed reports on the number of gynaecologists employed in private hospitals for performing deliveries, whether by C-section or natural birth. It also demanded a comparison of the ratio of C-section procedures performed in private hospitals versus government hospitals in the state.

The PIL highlights that, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, only in emergencies or when there is no chance of securing a specialized gynaecologist, can a cesarean section be performed by an MBBS doctor or a general surgeon. However, the petition stated when a gynaecologist is available, but for reasons which are difficult to understand but easy to infer, under any circumstances, the caesarean procedure cannot be performed by an MBBS doctor or by a general surgeon.

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