Denied admission, woman delivers baby outside hospital ward

A woman was allegedly forced to deliver her baby outside the maternity ward of the civil hospital in Gurugram after being denied admission despite waiting for more than 12 hours, officials said on Saturday.

The woman gave birth to the child outside the ward late Friday night. A social media post over the incident soon went viral, prompting the Principal Medical Officer (PMO) to order an inquiry.

The woman's husband, Narender Singh, is a native of Hardoi in Uttar Pradesh. He said he works in a company and has been living with his family in Laxman Vihar colony for the past several years. Singh has filed a complaint against the alleged negligence of a doctor and a nurse of the civil hospital due to which his wife was forced to deliver the baby girl outside the hospital ward.

"I reached the civil hospital around 7 am on Friday with my pregnant wife as she complained of abdominal pain. At the hospital, the nurse present in the maternity ward asked me to come later without examining my wife who was groaning in pain.

"I also met the doctor posted in the ward but the doctor was also not paying any attention. In such a situation, till 12 noon, we kept pleading for treatment but to no avail. I got upset and sat in the park of the hospital premises and waited outside the maternity ward at night but my wife was not admitted to the ward," Singh said.

After waiting for more than 12 hours, she was forced to deliver outside the maternity ward on the first floor of the hospital late Friday night. She gave birth to a baby girl, he said.

"I soon raised an alarm and only then the staff came running from the maternity ward and took my wife inside the ward on a wheel chair. It is a matter of relief that both my wife and newborn baby are safe. My wife has been pregnant twice earlier, but she could not become a mother but now we are happy to have a baby girl," the father added.

Sector-9 RWA president Prashant Chauhan took to social media to share a post over the incident. Chauhan said that due to the negligence in the civil hospital, the "life of the child and the mother could have been lost". "Strict action should be taken against the negligent doctors and staff".

"Instructions have been given to change the duty of the staff nurse and guard posted in the maternity ward. Another nurse and guard have been appointed in their place. The PMO of the hospital has been instructed to conduct an inquiry into the matter and submit a report as soon as possible. Action will be taken based on the report," said Virendra Yadav, Civil Surgeon, Gurugram.