Brother helps deliver woman’s baby at Goalpara health centre
By Our Staff Reporter
Guwahati, February 20: In a sad commentary on the State's government health sector, a mother reportedly delivered a baby at the waiting outhouse of a government civil hospital in Goalpara district.
The Assam Human Rights Commission has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident.
The incident comes barely a few days after a woman and her new-born triplet babies had to spend a night in a wayside commuters shed, after being reportedly forced to leave the Mangaldai Civil Hospital for ibility to pay.
The incidents have exposed the dismal state of affairs in the State Health department led by minister zrul Islam.
The incident in Goalpara took place on February 17. After vainly waiting for any doctor or nurse in the hospital, the alleged delivery of the woman had to be carried out by her elder brother inside the waiting outhouse of the Jaleswar health centre in Goalpara district at about 2.30 AM. It was reported that the woman Samartha Khatun, daughter of one Amiruddin of Bamunirbhita, was taken to the health centre but there was neither a doctor nor any nurse present for the delivery to be effected. Although the family of the woman approached a nurse at her residence, she refused to help. Filly, the elder brother of the pregnt lady, without any medical knowhow whatsoever, had to bring about the delivery in the waiting room since the doors of the health centre were then locked in the wee hours, the AHRC said.
The incident triggered public resentment and outrage in the locality. Hundreds of people locked the hospital and burnt effigies of the Chief Minister and the Health minister, shouting slogans against them and demanding punishment of the negligent doctors and nurses of the hospital who reportedly used to refrain from attending duty for months together. Meanwhile, the AHRC has directed the District Magistrate of Goalpara to conduct a magisterial enquiry into the incident and submit report within thirty days.