A pregnant woman lost her child in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh after proper medical treatment was denied to her. Reportedly, the staff at a hospital refused to treat her due to “lack of surgical gloves”.
On May 27, calling it a case of “medical apathy”, tweeps shared news reports about the woman Guddi Devi and her husband, Anil Kumar, who was asked to bring a pair of surgical gloves himself, so that the doctors could start the treatment.
The incident took place at a community health centre (CHC) in Etmadpur block in the famous tourist-city of Agra.
According to Indian newspaper Times of India: “At around 9.30pm on May 18, Guddi complained of labour pain and was rushed to the CHC in an ambulance. A female staff member of the hospital examined Guddi, and asked Kumar to take her home. The staff member asked the couple to come back the next day.”
The husband, reportedly, pleaded with the staff to admit her as she was in pain and start the treatment, but to no avail. Kumar then called Etmadpur sub-divisional magistrate for help, but he alleged that the CHC staffers misbehaved with him since he put a complaint with the officer.
At around 11pm, Kumar was asked to “bring a pair of surgical gloves”, so that the hospital could begin her treatment. Due to the lockdown, Kumar could not find the gloves even as he looked for them for over an hour. At around 3am, Kumar and his wife returned home, since the health centre refused to help.
On May 19, Guddi lost consciousness and was taken to a private hospital. The doctors at the private hospital conducted an ultrasound and told the father that his child had died.
According to the report, Kumar said: "My child could have been saved if she was provided treatment at the CHC. I hope the authorities will take cognizance of the matter and ensure strict action."
