A pregnant woman died at a hospital in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district on Sunday, prompting the court to order an inquiry into the incident after her family alleged negligence by doctors and medical authorities.
On Sunday, a 25-year-old woman, identified as Shakeela, was admitted to a sub-district hospital at Seer Hamdan in southern district. Later, the hospital referred her to the Child and Maternity Hospital in Anantnag but she died on the way.
Her family alleged that she died due to negligence of doctors, who, they said, delayed her treatment before referring her to the Child and Maternity Hospital, one of the biggest maternity hospital in South Kashmir.
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The family carried the body from the hospital in a stretcher trolley, a video of which went viral, triggering outrage.
Doctors, however, said they were keen to provide an ambulance but the family preferred the trolley as they didn’t want her to be tested for Covid-19 given the stigma associated with it.
“Preliminary reports suggest the body was taken away by relatives fearing they will have to wait for burial if sample is taken for covid-19 test. Most unfortunate to say the least,” Deputy Commissioner Anantnag said.
This incident happened a week after another pregnant woman died along with her unborn twins at the MCCH in Anantnag. The woman, who eventually was declared COVID-19 positive, came from a Red Zone area and had been allegedly denied swift treatment.
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The Court, however, observed the pregnant lady was not admitted in the hospital after being referred to it and was "allowed to die by the authorities without showing any compassion and without discharging duties which have been enjoined upon them by “the noble medical profession.”
The Court said the video that has gone viral on social media clearly shows that the body is being ferried on a trolley or a cart. The incident, the Court said, has evoked “great social resentment and people feel insecure and demand justice from those who are managing the things at the helm of affairs and are responsible for providing health care to the sick and ailing.”
A week ago a pregnant woman from Anantnag's Kharpora- Larnoo area gave birth to still born twins and later died in isolation ward. The woman’s family had alleged that the doctors were hesitant to “attend her as she hailed from a red zone”. While the doctors insist they treated her in the hospital and she had normal deliverers of stillborn babies. Later the woman’s samples tested positive for coronavirus, forcing the J&K administration to institute an inquiry into the incident, as the woman’s burial was allowed without precautions.
