Two Pregnant Women Die At Bihar’s Jamui Hospital, Families Allege 'No Female Doctor On Duty'

Two women died at Jamui Sadar Hospital in Bihar on Sunday, following which their family members staged a protest on the premises with the bodies, alleging negligence on the part of the medical establishment's authorities, officials told PTI.

One of the women had undergone a caesarean section on Saturday night, and another was due for delivery on Sunday.

Jamui Sadar Sub-divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Deepti Monali said the deaths occurred in a gap of a few hours.

Two Deaths, Hours Apart

Monali told PTI that no FIR has been registered yet, and the cause of the deaths is yet to be ascertained.

"It will be clear after investigation... Expert opinions have been sought on whether there was medical negligence in the case," she said.

The first deceased woman was 28-year-old Anita Kumari of Nariyana village. According to her family, she developed labour pain on Saturday night and was first taken to Khaira Health Centre before being referred to Jamui Sadar Hospital. She reached the hospital at around 11 pm, but her relatives alleged that no female doctor was present in the maternity ward. They said her condition deteriorated during the night and that she died around 5 am on Sunday. Anita was reportedly undergoing her third delivery, according to media reports.

The second woman, 26-year-old Aastha Kumari of Chauhandih village, had undergone a Caesarean section at the hospital on Saturday and delivered a baby boy. Her condition initially appeared stable but deteriorated around midnight. Her family alleged that she was not adequately monitored after the surgery. She received treatment from a doctor in the emergency department and reportedly improved temporarily, but her condition worsened again before she died at around 10 am on Sunday. Her relatives also alleged that a blood transfusion had been suggested, but it could not be arranged before her death.

Families Protest, Minister Questions Hospital

Bihar Minister for Industries and Sports, Shreyasi Singh, who is also the local MLA, reached the spot and lashed out at the hospital administration after meeting the kin of the deceased.

In a video circulating on social media, Singh could be seen purportedly questioning the absence of doctors and delay in medical intervention in a furious tone.

PTI, however, could not independently verify the authenticity of the video.

Despite repeated attempts, senior officials of the hospital administration could not be reached for comments.

Family members of the women protested by placing the dead bodies at the hospital gates.

The kin of one of the deceased alleged they waited for appropriate medical intervention for hours as doctors were absent from the maternity ward, as per PTI.