VIJAYAWADA: Exposing pathetic conditions in the State health care sector, a young pregnant woman in labour pains was forced to approach a private clinic for delivery as there was no doctor available at the Primary Health Centre at Hanuman Junction on Friday. The woman later delivered a dead baby at the private clinic.
The issue came to light on Saturday when the family members and relatives of the woman staged a protest blaming on the lack of doctors at the PHC for the baby’s death.Mettu Baby of Tarakarama Colony in Bapulapadu mandal of Krishna district was taken to the PHC at Hanuman Junction. In the absence of any doctor, a staff nurse attended to the woman and, realising that delivery was going to be complicated, she referred her to the nearest nursing home where she delivered a stillborn baby.
District Medical and Health Officer (DMHO) Dr I Ramesh said, “The hospital has two doctors. One is at swine flu camp at Gannavaram Airport and the other is sent to a nearby PHC. One staff nurse is there to attend to emergency cases. They are trained to attend to even delivery cases. It’s a daily routine for nurses. In this case, the nurse tried to deliver but, after finding some complications, she suggested that the woman be taken to either Eluru or Vijayawada. Since the two places are quite far, they shifted her to a nearby clinic, where the woman delivered a stillborn baby.”
Responding to the allegations, the DMHO ordered an inquiry and sent an officer to the Hanuman Junction PHC.“We have ordered an inquiry to find out the real reason behind the death of the baby. We will know within 24 hours whether the baby died due to the delay in delivery or because of any complications. The PHC is well-equipped and many people visit the centre for regular checkup and treatment. This woman even visited the PHC for monthly checkups,” the DMHO said.According to a recent report, the high Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) in the State was attributed to shortage of doctors at government-run hospitals.