Probe ordered after woman, newborn die during delivery at Jharkhand CHC
Jamshedpur- In a tragic incident, a woman and her newborn died during delivery at the Rajnagar Community Health Centre (CHC) in the Saraikela-Kharsawan district of Jharkhand, with the procedure allegedly conducted using a mobile phone flashlight due to a power outage.
The deceased has been identified as Vineeta Banra, a health worker and a resident of Hathisiring village. According to her husband, due to a power outage and the unavailability of solar power caused by a severe storm on Saturday, a nurse performed a C-section operation using the light from a mobile phone flashlight, during which both the woman and the newborn passed away.
In response to the incident, Ajay Kumar Singh, Additional Chief Secretary in charge of Jharkhand's Health Department, has sought a report from the Civil Surgeon of the Seraikela-Kharsawan district. Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner (DC) Nitish Kumar Singh has constituted a three-member team to investigate the matter.
The team, being led by the Civil Surgeon and the SDO, and a senior doctor from the Seraikela Sadar Hospital, will investigate the circumstances and deficiencies associated with this matter. Therefore, based on the investigation report, appropriate action will be taken.
According to the PressReader media news report, the deceased's husband, Durgacharan Banra, alleged that there was no electricity at the CSH, and no doctor was present at the time of delivery. A nurse was attempting to deliver the baby using the light from a mobile phone flashlight. When the condition of both Vinita and the baby began to deteriorate, the nurse rushed to summon a doctor; however, by then, both Vinita and the baby had already passed away. Had they been referred to a larger hospital, their deaths could have been averted.
Meanwhile, the doctor, who was on duty at the time, stated that this was a case of Postpartum Haemorrhage (PPH), a condition characterised by excessive bleeding following childbirth. "This was a very serious medical condition, and we did our absolute best”, he added.
Furthermore, Dr SP Singh, the Civil Surgeon of Seraikela-Kharsawan, stated that the power supply had been cut off. The solar power system was also non-functional. However, the umbilical cord became entangled around the baby's neck, resulting in its death; meanwhile, the mother passed away due to an emergency condition, such as PPH.
“I was on official leave, but there should have been an inverter for the labour room at least. The health secretary has sought a report, and I will send it to him shortly”, he stated.
