A 30-year-old woman and her newborn twins died in Karnataka’s Tumakuru district, after she was denied treatment at the district hospital. Authorities at the hospital refused to admit the woman, Kasturi, claiming that she did not have an Aadhaar card or a ‘Thayi’ card under the government’s Matru Chaitanya scheme. According to reports, Kasturi was a native of Tamil Nadu and had moved, along with her six-year-old daughter, to Bharatinagar in Tumakuru six months ago.
According to reports, Kasturi developed labour pains late on Wednesday, November 2. Doctors at the district hospital said they could not admit her there as did not have an Aadhaar ot 'Thayi' card. which serves a health record of the woman during the ante and post-natal period. Instead, the doctors referred her to Victoria Hospital in Bengaluru. However, as she did not have the funds to travel to Bengaluru, she returned to her home in Bharatinagar and delivered the babies there early on Thursday. The Hindu reported that Kasturi developed complications during childbirth and, left unattended, all three passed away.
Protesting the hospital's apathy, local residents staged a protest and demanded suspension of the doctors and staff concerned. Assuring action against the guilty, District Health Officer Dr Manjunath said that Aadhaar and mother cards are not mandatory for admitting patients for delivery. He also said that three nurses at the hospital have been suspended, and that he has recommended the doctor’s suspension as well. An inquiry into the tragic incident has been ordered, the DHO added.
Meanwhile, Karnataka Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar reacted to the incident and reiterated that patients must not be forced to furnish documents at a hospital in emergency situations. He said that a high-level committee has been formed to investigate into the incident, which has been ordered to submit its report in two weeks. “If found guilty in the investigation report, the suspended personnel will not only be dismissed from service, but strict legal action will be taken against them. Strict orders have been given to all the health officials to take precautions so that this kind of incident does not recur,” he said in a series of tweets.
ತುಮಕೂರು ಜಿಲ್ಲಾಸ್ಪತ್ರೆಗೆ ಇಂದು ತುರ್ತು ಭೇಟಿ ನೀಡಿ, ತುಂಬು ಗರ್ಭಿಣಿ ಮಹಿಳೆ ಹಾಗೂ ಆಕೆಯ ನವಜಾತ ಶಿಶುಗಳ ಮರಣ ಪ್ರಕರಣದ ಕುರಿತು ಮಾಹಿತಿ ಪಡೆಯಲಾಯಿತು.
— Dr Sudhakar K (@mla_sudhakar) November 3, 2022
ದುರ್ದೈವವಶಾತ್ ನಡೆದಿರುವ ಈ ಘಟನೆ ನನಗೆ ಅತೀವ ನೋವು ತಂದಿದ್ದು ನನ್ನಲ್ಲಿ ದಿಗ್ಭ್ರಮೆ ಮೂಡಿಸಿದೆ.
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