The City Health Officer claims that the hospital staff did not stop the family from taking the woman to the government hospital as alleged by the family.
The death of a 22-year-old pregnant woman during the wee hours of Sunday at an Urban Primary Health Centre (UPHC) in K Pudur, Madurai, has raised concerns over the efficiency of the hospital, with the woman’s relatives alleging death due to negligence.
Sakthikali, a resident of EMG Nagar in Pudur, Madurai, was accompanied by her mother Panchavarnam and mother-in-law Subbulakshmi, when she got admitted at the K Pudur UPHC for her first delivery on Saturday afternoon around 2.00 pm. Her relatives say that this was the same hospital where she did her regular check-ups during the course of her pregnancy.
When Sakthikali was examined by the duty doctor at 5.30 pm on Saturday, she and her family members were allegedly assured of a natural delivery soon. “Around 7.00 pm on Saturday, she began experiencing labour pains and was taken inside by the nurse who was present at the hospital. There was no doctor, just the nurse and a cleaning lady to help. Sakthikali was having severe breathing issues around 2.00 am. We pointed it out to the nurse but she kept scolding us instead,” claims Sakthikali’s mother-in-law Subbulakshmi.
She also alleges that the nurse was hurling abuses at both Sakthikali and her relatives. “We told her that since she was having severe breathing troubles, maybe we should reconsider and perform a surgery instead or take her to a bigger hospital. She kept saying that my daughter-in-law was exaggerating her pain and acting like she was unable to breathe. She was not kind and understanding at all,” claims Subbulakshmi.
Sakthikali’s husband, who was also present at the hospital, alleges that their requests to take her to a government hospital were considered in time. “First, there was no doctor. Second, the nurse did not allow us to take her to the government hospital in time. Around 3.30 am, my wife hugged me in fear, asking for help,” says Manimuthu.
“Had we taken her to the hospital in time, she and our unborn child could have been saved,” he adds.
An argument broke out between the family and the nurse which further delayed Sakthikali’s treatment. “She began bleeding profusely and I saw the nurse pressing her abdomen repeatedly,” claims Subbulakshmi. Manimuthu alleges that Sakthikali passed away at the UPHC before they could take her in the ambulance.
Dr S Vinoth, City Health Officer (in-charge), tells TNM that a duty doctor is present at the hospital from 9.00 am to 4.00 pm after which they are only available on call. “The hospital staff had told them around 12.00 am that she can be taken to the government hospital but they (mother and mother-in-law) kept arguing that they only wanted to continue the delivery at the facility itself," he claims.
Denying their allegations that the hospital staff did not allow Sakthikali to be taken in an ambulance to the hospital, Vinoth says, “108 is always available at GH, how can they not allow? Because the relatives kept arguing and insisting that the delivery take place there itself, they continued with the labour. It was a regular case but sudden gasping led to complications.”
He also says that a Collector’s audit is in progress and that a report will be submitted after completing investigations. Meanwhile, Manimuthu has filed a complaint with K Pudur police. “The FIR is yet to be filed and the police have not taken any actions on our complaint yet. When we visited the hospital today, it was locked,” he says.
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