A woman was forced to deliver her baby on the road in Srinagar after authorities at the Lal Ded hospital, the biggest maternity hospital of the valley, refused her stay overnight and didn’t admit her on Thursday.According to a report, Suraya Begum, who hails from a remote village called Mooree in Kupwara district delivered a girl around 8.30 pm. Later, the woman who hails from north Kashmir’s Kupwara district delivered the baby on road in this bone chilly winter season.The incident has created rage across Kashmir with people demanding strict action against the doctors and paramedical staff involved in the shameful incident.Report said that, “At around 8.30 pm, my sister developed severe pain again and delivered a baby girl on the road. The newborn died immediately,” Zaman said.Dr Shabir Siddique, Medical Superintendent of Lal Ded has ordered an inquiry into the incident. Apart from negligence on part of the hospitals, new born babies have been abandoned too.’Meanwhile Jammu and Kashmir government has directed Principal Government Medical College (GMC), Srinagar to probe incident involving delivery of a woman on the roadside near Lal Ded hospital leading to the death of her baby.Divisional Commissioner Kashmir said that a formal order has been issued to Principal/Dean GMC requiring him to look into the factual position as regards denial of entry of the woman into the hospital leading her delivering on the roadside as a consequence of which baby born to her died.“This incident needs a thorough inquiry to find out the factual position, so that appropriate action is taken against the concerned if found liable for such negligence/ act,” reads the order issued by the Divisional Commissioner to the principal GMC.Dr Shabir Sidiqui said that the matter has been already taken up with the head of the Department Obstetrics and Gynecology, Dr Farhhat Jabeen.Pending inquiry, the doctor who was on duty on Thursday has been attached to Principal GMC, Srinagar.
However former chief ministers Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti expressed anguish about the reports of a woman forced to deliver on a road in Srinagar.Omar hoped the Governor’s administration would take immediate take action in the tragic case. “I hope the state functionaries working under the command of @jandkgovernor take immediate action in this tragic case,” Omar wrote on Twitter.Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti called the incident as “heart wrenching” and expressed her pain for turning away the pregnant woman from the lone maternity care hospital in capital city”.Heart wrenching that a pregnant woman was turned away from a hospital which ironically is named after the great Kashmiri mystic saint Lal Ded. She later gave birth to a still born in frigid temperatures. Cannot even begin to fathom the pain & trauma the parents must feel,” she tweeted.The J&K Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) President Ghulam Ahmad Mir also expressed serious concern after a woman forced to leave the LD Hospital and deliver a baby on road and described the incident as shameful, deplorable and unfortunate.“I personally feel that such type of behaviour on the part of on-duty medicos in the hospital was disturbing amounts to gross negligence, which was obviously against human values,” Mir added.Peoples Conference chairman Sajad Gani Lone also demand action against hospital authorities for refusing to admit a pregnant lady from Kupwara who delivered a baby on road."Woman gives birth on road. It is imperative that action is taken. Overall there is a dire need to reorient health devices to challenges today," Lone tweeted. (PTK)