East civic body sets up panel to inquire into baby’s death at maternity home

An inquiry committee has been set up by the East Municipal Corporation after a woman lost her baby during delivery at a maternity home in Khichripur.

The woman went into labour around midnight on August 4, and was shifted to Delhi government's Lal Bahadur Shastri(LBS) Hospital in the morning, where the foetus was declared dead in her womb.

According to sources, a doctor was on duty at the maternity home through the night, monitoring the woman's condition.

Around 7 am, with no ambulance present at the home, the doctor reportedly took the woman in his car to LBS hospital.

LBS Hospital authorities said the woman was brought to there only after 9 am, by which time no foetal heartbeat was detected, indicating the baby had died.

Yogender Mann, spokesperson of the three municipal corporations, said after the patient and her husband lodged a complaint with the civic agency, an inquiry committee was set up, comprising MCD doctors from other maternity homes and Delhi government members.

"The inquiry is on. The committee is yet to submit its report," Mann said.

Newsline had reported earlier that these maternity homes — managed by the municipal corporations, with staff support from Delhi government through the National Rural Health Mission(NRHM) — were reeling under acute staff crunch.

Sweepers and other auxiliary staff were sometimes forced to do duties like administering drips, and assisting in deliveries at these maternity homes.

Sources confirmed that in the present case, the doctor on duty has told the committee that since Doppler and ultrasound scan facilities were not available at the home, monitoring of the foetal heart was left entirely to human judgement.

A senior official in the East Municipal Corporation said, "We have had four meetings of the committee so far, where we interviewed the doctor extensively. From preliminary indications, it is not likely that he will be held liable because he did everything he could."

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