Controversy erupts after male doctor delivers patient, ASHA workers begin protest

Written by MD Bureau Published On 2020-10-10T10:00:57+05:30 | Updated On 10 Oct 2020 10:00 AM IST

Controversy erupts after male doctor delivers patient, ASHA workers begin protest

Bareilly: Controversy brewed after a male doctor performed a normal delivery for a patient at the Shahjahanpur Medical College and Hospital. The act stirred the ASHA workers to stage a protest, alleging that in spite of the presence of female doctors and midwives the hospital authorities assigned the task of the normal delivery to a male doctor.

Although there is no statutory law that governs the legal entity of a male doctor performing delivery for a patient, the ASHA workers protested in front of the institute after a video of a male doctor performing a normal delivery of a baby went viral on social media on Thursday evening.

The workers claimed that in spite of the presence of female doctors and midwives the hospital authorities assigned the task of the normal delivery to a male doctor which is not justified. They further added that the village women might feel uncomfortable to approach the health facility if the authorities keep on assigning the task of normal delivery to male doctors.

Condemning the authority's decisions, the protesting Asha workers stated that this kind of incident must not take place in the future and if there are available midwives and women doctors in the hospital, the duty of normal delivery should be given to one of them.

They also threatened to Boycott work if the male doctors keep on delivering babies.

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Meanwhile Dr. Pooja Pandey the spokesperson of the medical college told the Times of India that "the protest is politically motivated as the government and Medical College of India have authorized a male obstetrician for performing a delivery. The doctor in question is a senior surgeon. We can always assign the delivery to a woman a doctor if the patient specifically requests for it."

While Uttar Pradesh Asha workers are protesting against the delivery of a child by a male doctor, the Asha workers of Haryana on the other hand have been protesting in Karnal, demanding the implementation of a notification dated to 2018. Hindustan Times reports that the notification dated July 21st, 2018 stated the regularization of services of Asha and NHM workers. The ASHA workers are now demanding the implementation of the notification along with additional incentives as they have served under great risk of contamination even amidst the COVID pandemic.

They have already submitted a memorandum to the district administration stating their demands. The chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar has reportedly agreed to meet their representatives on October 20th after which they will withhold their protest. However, they have informed that they will hold a rally on October 22nd if their demands are not fulfilled.

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Source : with inputs

MD Bureau

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