Hospital head resigns after woman delivers child at its gate

PATIALA: Day after a woman delivered a child at the gate of the Government Rajindra Hospital, the authorities have opted for the blame game and held the ambulance driver and his assistant responsible for not taking the patient inside the labour room. Medical superintendent of the hospital, Bhupinder Singh Brar, has resigned the following demand from chief minister.

A pregnant woman in her late twenties was rushed to the government hospital by 108 ambulance service on Sunday after she complained of labour pains. She was dropped at the gate of emergency ward by the ambulance driver who, according to the health authorities, did not carry the mandatory stretcher along with them. Accompanied by her husband, Karan, who works as a labourer, she asked the security guards and others for help and provide her a stretcher. After receiving no help, Karan himself went upstairs to the labour room to get a stretcher for his pregnant wife who wriggling with pain.

Meanwhile, the pregnant woman cried and lied down on the floor following which several women gathered around for help. The child was delivered with the help of these women, who later also protested against the authorities of government hospital.

However, she was taken inside the maternity ward, along with her newborn baby only after an assistant professor took stock of the situation.

Medical superintendent at Government Rajindra hospital Dr B S Brar, who has now resigned from his post, earlier said, "We looked into the CCTV footage after the case came to our knowledge. We immediately marked an inquiry and thoroughly investigated the matter. We found a major lapse on the part of the ambulance driver and his assistant. As per rules, they were supposed to drop the patient at the door of labour room and inform doctors. They were also supposed to carry a stretcher with their ambulance, but they did not have it. We have written to the higher authorities about the fault and also the poor working of the 108 ambulances in the district. The mother and the baby are fine now. Action will be taken against each and every person, who is found to be guilty."

Brar also added that the patient suffered labour pains from 4am, but reached the hospital at 9.40am which was too late.