Dhanbad CHC Nurses Demand Rs 1,500 'Bakshish' Before Allowing Mother To See Her Baby
In a distressing incident at a community health centre (CHC) in Dhanbad's Govindpur block, 30-year-old Sumati Devi encountered a harrowing ordeal after delivering her baby. Sumati, a Dalit woman, was denied the chance to see her newborn until she paid Rs 1,500 to the nurses and auxiliary staff at the CHC.
Dhanbad CHC nurses bar mother from seeing baby??
According to a TOI report, Sumati, accompanied by her husband Balram Rajwar, arrived at the CHC around 4 pm on Thursday. Within an hour of admission, she successfully delivered a healthy child. However, her joy turned to dismay when she was prohibited from laying eyes on her newborn by the nurses, who demanded Rs 1500 as 'baksish' (tips).
Balram Rajwar, a daily wager, was compelled to borrow the money from a friend to meet the nurses' demands. Despite repeated requests to hand over the baby to Sumati, the nurses remained unyielding.
Expressing outrage over the incident, Balram submitted a written complaint to Dr. B Kumar, the medical officer in charge of the CHC, urging immediate action against the staff involved. Dr. Kumar assured that he would personally investigate the matter.
Disturbing trend of 'bakshish' in hospitals
This incident echoes a previous disturbing case from 2016, where nurses allegedly subjected a newborn girl to peril by placing her near a heater blower, demanding Rs 300 as 'badhai' money.
In response to this development, the Health department?took proactive measures. A four-member committee of doctors was constituted to investigate?the shocking case involving an auxiliary nurse midwife (ANM) at Churu's government maternal and childcare hospital.
The recurrence of such incidents raises serious concerns about the quality of patient care and underscores the urgent need for stringent measures to ensure the dignity and safety of patients, particularly vulnerable individuals like Sumati Devi and her newborn child.
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