Denied admission to hospital, Madhya Pradesh woman delivers baby in rickshaw

A 30-year-old woman gave birth to a baby in an auto rickshaw after she was denied admission to a district hospital in Madhya Pradesh for want of an anaesthetist. The mother and baby were subsequently admitted to the hospital and doing fine.

District official ordered an inquiry into the incident, and said action would be taken if anyone was found guilty.

Dinesh Silavat, who belongs to Rajasthan's Chittorgarh district, said he has been living in Neemuch district for some days and selling blankets.

His wife Rajni started having labour pains around 2.30 pm on Wednesday, and he rushed her to the district hospital in a rickshaw. But the hospital staff asked him to take his wife to Udaipur, Rajasthan, he claimed.

"Despite my repeated requests, they did not budge, and the women staffers told us to leave the hospital. As we came out of the hospital around 4 pm, my wife gave birth in the auto rickshaw," Silavat added.

"Some good-hearted people arranged sheets to provide privacy to my wife when she delivered the baby," he said.

When the hospital staff learnt about the delivery, they let her and the newborn in the hospital, Silavat said.

Meanwhile, maternity department head Dr Lad Dhakad said the anaesthetist was on leave, and as a result, caesarean deliveries could not take place there. The hospital did not have enough doctors even for regular duties, he added.

"My duty was till 2 o'clock. The woman was brought to the hospital after that. When the staff informed me, I went and saw her. Her blood pressure was shooting up. The family members were told that she needed to be taken to a big hospital, but they stayed back. We do not admit such serious patients to avoid risk," he said.

(Inputs from PTI)