Turned Away by 4 Hospitals, 8-Month Pregnant Woman Dies in Bhopal
Negligence and apathy by 4 hospitals killed a pregnant woman and her unborn child in Bhopal.
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Eight months pregnant and writhing in pain, 23-year-old Ambreen sat outside the gates of Sultania Zanana Hospital in Bhopal for three hours. She and her husband Ajaz begged the hospital guards to let them in as she faced difficulty breathing and feared for her life and that of her unborn child’s.
Ambreen had already been turned away by three other hospitals before she reached the gates of Sultania Zanana Hospital.
Turned Away by Hospitals One After Another
Ambreen and Ajaz’s ordeal began when she woke up in the morning of 26 May. The eight-month pregnant Ambreen complained of chest pain and breathing problems. Ajaz contacted the private Mansi hospital that was close to their home in the Aishbagh area for an appointment with the doctor. Upon being told by the hospital that the doctor would not be available before the evening on 26 May, Ambreen had no choice but to tolerate the unbearable pain till 7 pm when she and her husband rushed to the hospital as her condition worsened.
After conducting an electrocardiogram test (ECG) however, the doctor turned her away, having administered a painkiller.
The 23-year-old was rushed there in an ambulance at around 12:45 am on 27 May. The hospital administration, however, denied admission claiming there was no doctor on duty. Ajaz then rushed his wife to the Sultania Zanana hospital where she stood outside the gates for four agonising hours begging to be allowed inside before the guard finally opened the gates.
“Around 4 am, the hospital guard agreed to open the gate and we finally got admission, but it was for a short period,” said her 27-year-old husband Ajaz, who runs a tailor shop in Aishbagh area of Bhopal. The duo married in 2018.
After examining the report, the doctor at the Sultania Hospital told Ajaz to take his wife to the Hamidia Government Hospital as her condition was worsening rapidly. He was also told that the unborn baby was completely fine and breathing.
A Tragic Turn of Events
At around 8:30 am on 27 May, the couple rushed to Hamidia Hospital in an ambulance where she was admitted in the ICU ward-2. Here, a nurse took Ambreen’s blood sample and conducted an X-ray. The doctor, who examined Ambreen, informed her family that she has an ‘accumulation of water’ in the chest and that is why she couldn’t breathe.
At around 1 pm, the hospital sought permission to put her on a ventilator because she was having problems breathing. But, three hours later, the hospital administration shifted her to the COVID-19 ward. “The doctor did not wait for the report and they admitted her in the COVID-19 ward,” claimed Ambreen’s mother Reshma.
Soon after, the family members demanded to see Ambreen, but the doctor allegedly refused. They requested to see her through a video call, but that request was declined too.
The following day, on 28 May, the hospital informed the kin that she had died. “The hospital claimed that she died at 1:30 pm, while the death certificate receipt says 10:11 am,” claimed Ajaz adding that the hospital also mentioned the wrong names in the death certificates. When we demanded that this be corrected, the staff asked for money and an affidavit.
“When we reached Hamidia, after facing denial from the four hospitals, she wasn’t so critical, both lives could be saved. But due to the negligence of the hospital, I lost my wife and child,” said Ajaz.
Later in the day, the hospital handed over Ambreen’s body to her family who buried her in the Aishbagh Graveyard.
‘Textbook Example of Medical Negligence’
Commenting on the incident, social activist Rachna Dhigra said, “It’s a textbook example of medical negligence. It exposes the state government’s tall claims of providing better medical care. First, she was denied treatment in the middle of the night by two government hospitals. Later, she waited at the hospital gate for hours and then she and her unborn baby were killed in Hamidia.”
Rachna Dhigra pointed out that since Ambreen’s parents are victims of the Bhopal gas tragedy – the Indira Gandhi Hospital which is dedicated to those affected by the tragedy – they couldn’t be denied treatment by the hospital. In this case however, the hospital did, Dhigra claimed.
Seeking special attention from the Supreme Court’s appointed committee for Gas leak-hit patients over the issue, Dhigra said, “The Committee should take cognisance in this matter and demand a detailed report from not only Hamidia but from other hospitals.”
Bhopal Government and Hospitals React
Brushing aside the allegations raised by Ambreen’s family, the superintendent of the Indira Gandhi Woman and Child Hospital claimed that the family was lying.
Bhopal district Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO) Dr Prabhakar Tiwari did not respond to calls despite repeated attempts.
State Health Minister Narottam Mishra said he was unaware of the incident.
When contacted, the Dean of Hamidia Government Hospital, Dr Aruna Kumar said, “I’m not aware of this incident. But, since it’s serious negligence, I will ask for a report on it.”
Similarly, the Bhopal Commissioner Kavindra Kiyavat, who is a chairperson of the hospital, also claimed that he was unaware of this incident, but assured action. “I will seek a report on it,” he said.
(Kashif Kakvi is a Bhopal-based freelance journalist. He can be reached @KashifKakvi.)
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