Uttarakhand: Turned away by hospitals, woman dies after losing premature twins

DEHRADUN: In one of the most tragic deaths so far, a result of hospitals turning away patients, a 7 months pregnant 24 year old woman, died allegedly after four hospitals refused to admit her. Secretary (health), Chief Medical officer (AMCO) and the DM have ordered three separate inquiries in the case.
According to the family, her condition deteriorated after she gave birth to two twins in at home on June 09, both of whom died soon after in the absence of institutional care. The kin alleged that she attempted to get admission in hospital for delivery but was turned away by doctors who said that delivery will happen in 9th month. She died on Thursday, three days after her babies died.
Kamlesh Saini, husband of deceased Sudha Saini who cremated his wife on Friday wasn’t able to control his tears. A daily wager from Bihar who is living in Dehradun from past 6 years already, Kamlesh now looks at bleak future of his two toddlers, one 4 another 1, who will now be living without their mother.
Talking to TOI, Kamlesh, who hasn’t eaten anything since June 09, the day her wife delivered twins at home and he had to bury the babies with his own hand immediately after their birth.
“My only fault is that I am poor. They can turn away poor people,” said Saini who alleged that his wife was turned away by Doon hospital, Gandhi hospital, Coronation hospital and also by two private hospitals who refused to admit her citing the reason that she had temperature and she maybe a Covid 19 carrier.
Husband of the victim also confirmed that he brought back Sudha from Gandhi hospital as doctors said that it was just 7 months of her pregnancy and she should come in 9th month.
“She went to hospital with stomach pain and weakness. Had the doctors been a little sympathetic to my wife, she would have survived,” alleged Saini who has now moved to his brother’s home in Dispensary Road area of the city.
As victim’s family managed to contact MLA Harbans Kapoor, he asked chief medical officer Dr BC Ramola to get her admitted in the hospital on priority basis.
“I had asked Doon hospital to take her immediately but the question is that how three government hospitals can turn her away when she was so critical. We are seeking locations of 108 ambulance that has taken her to hospitals and an departmental inquiry has been ordered in the matter,” said the CMO.
Dr NS Khatri, Covid 19 nodal officer at Government Doon Medical College (GDMC) told TOI that woman’s body was handed over to the family but her swab sample has been collected to ascertain if she was covid positive.
“The woman was severely anaemic and she died in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) on Thursday evening,” said Dr Khatri.
Secretary health, Amit Negi has also confirmed that Director General (DG) Health Dr Amita Upreti has been directed to submitted a detailed report after inquiry in the matter to him. District Magistrate Ashish Srivastava has also ordered a magisterial inquiry in the matter which will be conducted by sub-divisional magistrate, Arvind Kumar Pandey.