Hospital Apathy Has Killed Several Pregnant Women & Unborn Children Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

Ever since the pandemic hit and spread across the country, women and children have been among the most-vulnerable and the worst-affected groups -- pregnant women more so.

Pictures of numerous pregnant women walking on foot to reach their homes after the countrywide lockdown was announced in March, were widely circulated on social media, followed by people targeting mismanagement on part of the government.

The tragedy still continues.

Sudha Saini, a 24-year-old woman, was refused admission by four hospitals in Dehradun when she was in dire need of medical attention. The hospital staff feared she was infected with coronavirus. She died two days after giving birth to twins.

According to a report by The Times of India, Sudha's husband Kamlesh Saini took her to two government hospitals and two private hospitals but all of them refused to admit her, saying she could be a Covid-19 patient as she was running a high fever.

Representational Image/Reuters

She was earlier denied treatment when taken to a government-run hospital for her delivery when she developed stomach pain in her seventh month.

¡°While the doctors said she was anemic and must be administered blood, the hospital refused to admit her. They did not even examine my wife properly,¡± Kamlesh said.

She later gave birth to twins who died hours later. Soon, her own health started deteriorating and was taken to four hospitals, all of which denied admission.

Last week, a 30-year-old eight-months pregnant woman died after she failed to get admission in eight hospitals across Noida in a span of about 12 hours. The woman was pregnant with her second child.

The woman, a resident of Khora in Ghaziabad, is survived by her husband, who is a private sector employee, and their five-year-old son, an Indian Express report said.

Reports say the woman was taken to at least six hospitals in an autorickshaw and approached two more in an ambulance they ¡°had to hire since she needed oxygen supply¡±. Her brother said that most hospitals told them they do not have spare beds.

Representational Image

Another similar incident was reported from Bhopal where a 23-year-old pregnant woman, who had tested positive for coronavirus, died on May 28. Her husband, who recently completed his 14-day quarantine, said that his wife was denied treatment in three government-run hospitals and passed away at the fourth state-run facility.

The woman died in Bhopal's Hamidia Hospital on May 28.

There are numerous other reports of pregnant women and other patients being denied admission to hospitals exposing the faltering healthcare system.