HIV positive woman gives birth to stillborn after hospital denies admission

Within a week of the death of a boy on his father’s shoulder due to alleged negligence of doctors at a hospital in Kanpur, an HIV positive woman gave birth to a stillborn in Bareilly after she was reportedly denied treatment at the district women’s hospital.

The refusal by the hospital on Sunday forced the 25-year-old woman to undertake a 50-kilometre journey to Bareilly.

Precious time was lost and it was too late as my wife delivered a stillborn at the Bareilly district hospital, her husband alleged.

The couple, both suffering from physical disabilities, got married a year-and-a-half ago. They had earlier settled in Delhi in search of greener pastures but soon were forced to return to Badaun as the woman started falling ill frequently.

“Doctors in Delhi informed us that my wife was HIV positive. We could not afford medical expenses in the national capital and returned to Badaun,” her husband rued.

“She was rushed to the hospital on Sunday after contracting severe labour pain. I requested them (at Badaun hospital) repeatedly to treat my wife, but they demanded Rs 2,000 to buy gloves for their protection and also asked me to arrange for blood,” he alleged.

“We were there the whole day and when her condition deteriorated at night, the hospital staff asked us to take her to Bareilly district hospital,” the husband claimed.

“We have lost our child and want the government to take strict action against the hospital staff in Badaun. I do not want other couples like us to suffer the same agony in the future,” he said.

A magisterial inquiry has been ordered into the incident by District Magistrate Chandra Prakash Tripathi.

Chief Medical Officer, Badaun, Dr Sunil Kumar Wadhwa said the matter is being probed by a committee and the guilty would not be spared.

On August 28, Ashu, 12, who was suffering from fever, was brought to the emergency ward of Hallet hospital of JSVM Medical College in Kanpur.

His father alleged that doctors asked him to go from one department to another which he did carrying his son on his shoulders and the boy died in the process, a charge which the hospital authorities have refuted.

Following the boy’s death, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav had suspended the chief medical superintendent of the medical college.