Death of mother, newborn sparks negligence allegations at Namsai Hospital
Medical Negligence
Itanagar: In a shocking case of alleged medical negligence, a pregnant woman and her newborn baby allegedly died after being denied emergency care at Namsai District Hospital in Arunachal Pradesh. The North East Human Rights Organization (NEHRO) has filed a formal complaint with the Arunachal Pradesh State Human Rights Commission (APSHRC).
According to NEHRO’s complaint, the victim, 28-year-old Gita Murmu, went into severe labour around 8:30 PM on 28 September. She was rushed to Namsai District Hospital by her husband and relatives, arriving around 9 PM. Upon arrival, they were informed that no emergency doctor was on duty. A nurse allegedly issued a referral slip to Assam Medical College in Dibrugarh without consulting the doctor.
Despite having an ambulance parked on the premises, the hospital allegedly refused to provide transport, claiming that no driver was available.
NEHRO stated that the family was left helpless and had to transport the patient in their private vehicle. Around 25–30 minutes into the journey, the woman delivered the baby in the car, but the newborn did not survive for long. In desperation, the family stopped at Doomdooma Hospital in Assam, where doctors provided initial treatment and referred her to Tinsukia/Assam Medical College due to her critical bleeding condition.
However, once again, no emergency ambulance support was arranged for the night transfer. Tragically, the woman died from excessive bleeding before reaching Tinsukia.
“The family alleged unavailability of an emergency doctor at the Namsai district hospital during critical hours, arbitrary referral without any doctor’s evaluation, denial of ambulance service despite one being parked within the hospital premises, neglect in providing paramedic assistance or medical equipment support during transfer, the hospital administration’s failure to ensure emergency maternal care, thereby violating the basic right to health and life under Article 21 of the Constitution of India,” the NEHRO said, reports the Arunachal Times.
NEHRO has urged the APSHRC to take suo motu cognisance of the incident and initiate an independent investigation into the conduct of the hospital authorities and staff involved.
As per the media reports by Arunachal Times, it further appealed for ordering compensation for the bereaved family for the violation of their right to health, dignity, and life, and said that the Health Department should be directed to ensure the availability of round-the-clock emergency services, functional ambulance facilities, and strict preventive measures against such tragic incidents in the future.
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