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Video Editor: Mohd. Irshad Alam
Senior Editor: Shelly Walia
Editorial Inputs: Ashna Butani, Somya Lakhani
On 19 July, a 21-year-old woman named Poonam Morya was forced to give birth right outside the paediatric ward of Delhi's Safdarjung Hospital. The video of her giving birth next to an overflowing bin went viral on social media soon.
Poonam, from Uttar Pradesh's Dadri, was reportedly referred to Safdarjung, a central government-run hospital, after she needed immediate medical attention due to high blood pressure. The family arrived at the hospital's maternity ward on 18 July.
What really happened?
But the ultrasound did not happen.
Poonam and her family were reportedly forced to spend the night on the pavement, right outside the maternity ward. At 9:30 am, on 19 July, she gave birth to a baby girl, without any medical assistance.
The newborn is underweight but stable. The mother is stable too. But it could have gone anyway, the Poonam's mother-in-law added.
The hospital said in a statement that the patient was offered admission but did not return with the admission paper. However, it also debarred five doctors from further duty, as per letters issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, accessed by The Quint.
The incident raises many questions about equitable access to maternal health in India. If such incidents can happen in the heart of India's capital, can other regions be left far behind?
Another viral video, from Bihar’s Sitamarhi, earlier in July showed a woman delivering outside Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital in Muzaffarpur.
In August 2021, a 25-year-old from Madhya Pradesh’s Satna was forced to give birth on the pavement after an ambulance failed to arrive on time.
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