BHADOHI: Four doctors and a nurse have been found guilty of serious negligence after a pregnant woman was allegedly denied admission to a district hospital and delivered on the roadside, officials said on Thursday.The family of 20-year-old Rani Vanvasi alleged that doctors and a staff nurse refused to attend to her after identifying her as belonging to the Musahar tribal community and did not admit her, news agency PTI reported.Chief medical officer (CMO) Santosh Kumar Chak said a three-member inquiry team, constituted on the direction of District Magistrate Shailesh Kumar, submitted its report on Thursday.Rani was allegedly refused admission to Maharaja Chet Singh Government District Hospital on Monday on the grounds that she was anaemic and blood could not be arranged. Her brother was ready to donate blood, but no such arrangement was made, the CMO said.Rani eventually delivered on the roadside on Tuesday night with the help of women accompanying her, PTI reported.The inquiry team comprised deputy CMOs Ram Ashish Saroj and Om Prakash Shukla and gynaecologist Shalini Pathak.The CMO said action has been recommended against hospital Chief Medical Superintendent (CMS) Dr Ajay Kumar Tiwari and gynaecologist Dr Neelima Dhawan, who was on duty on Monday.The salary of gynaecologist Dr Mukesh Prajapati has been withheld for a month, while contractual doctor Dr Pankaj Kumar, who was on duty on Tuesday night, has been removed from service.Staff nurse Neelam Maurya has been transferred to Aurai Community Health Centre.The inquiry team also found that the hospital’s labour room was locked and that the CMS and others dealt with the case over the telephone instead of visiting the hospital.
Congress alleges caste discrimination
Congress, reacting to the incident in a post on X, alleged that the woman was denied treatment after being identified as a member of the Musahar community.“‘Musahar ho… won’t do the delivery’, This was said to that pregnant woman who had arrived at a government hospital in UP for delivery,” the party said, alleging that the woman was forced to give birth by the roadside after the hospital refused to admit her.Congress further alleged that the incident reflected the treatment of Dalits and Adivasis under the BJP government and criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath.The allegations regarding caste-based denial of treatment are from the family and Congress; the official inquiry, as cited by the CMO, found serious negligence and recommended disciplinary action against the hospital staff.(With agency inputs)
