The alleged carelessness at a maternity facility in Bhandup (West), Mumbai, that resulted in the death of the infant and his mother has been duly noted by the Bombay High Court. The dean of JJ Hospital, Dr. Pallavi Saple, has been called before the court to give testimony on the investigation into the deaths that occurred on April 29 during childbirth. The sad event concerned a baby who passed away during a C-section at the Sushma Swaraj Maternity Home, which was done by torchlight from a cell phone. At Sion Hospital, the mother Shaheedunissa died two hours later.
Shaheedunissa’s husband, Khusruddin Ansari, submitted a petition in which he accused the hospital and maternity home of egregious incompetence. Ansari brought the case before the court. Justices Revati Mohite-Dere and Prithviraj Chavan voiced their concerns with the incident and emphasized their desire to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future after hearing the plea. The judges questioned the hospital’s infrastructure, pointing out that one of the reasons for the disastrous birth was that there was no backup power generator.
Advocate Poornima Kantharia of BMC (Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation) told the court during the hearing that the contract doctor who performed the delivery had been disciplined. She clarified that the doctor had the opportunity to speak with a senior when aware of the power problem but had chosen not to do so. Kantharia also mentioned that the Chief Medical Officer, whose job it was to manage the hospital, was going to retire and was employed in a different unit.
The court questioned how such facilities were permitted to function without generators and criticized the maternity facility for lacking essential infrastructure, such as power backup. Judge Mohite-Dere stated that it was insufficient to place the blame solely on one physician and that hospitals should not be permitted to operate without the necessary authorizations, regulations, and protocols. The justices stressed that due process must be followed and that responsibility must be taken seriously since human life is valuable and carelessness cannot be tolerated.
Through its representative Ganesh Gole, the court also questioned the National Medical Commission (NMC) over why no action had been taken against the physician for misbehavior. Gole claimed that the commission was unaware of the occurrence, to which the court retorted that allegations of such incidents had to be investigated promptly, including through the media.
Swaraj Jadhav, Ansari’s counsel, emphasized that JJ Hospital, as the highest authority managing medical matters in Mumbai, ought to guarantee appropriate oversight and auditing of hospitals and maternity homes around the metropolis. In an effort to stop more deaths, the court has now ordered a BMC officer to come and explain the guidelines for hospital inspections.
SOURCE :
TIMES OF INDIA
