Srinagar, Aug 29: A woman and her newborn son died at Lal Ded Hospital on Tuesday, sparking protests by relatives who accused doctors of negligence.
Afroza Banoo, wife of Muhammad Ashraf Shah and a resident of Chhattargul in South Kashmir’s Anantnag district, was admitted to the hospital on Monday after she developed labour pain. Her husband told KNT that she was healthy and doctors had assured him of a normal delivery. However, he said her condition suddenly worsened and the family was asked to arrange blood.
“We arranged 11 blood points. The irony is that the doctors didn’t inform us of her death. When I tried to see her in the ICU, I was told she and the newborn baby were fine. After an endless wait, we entered the ICU and found her dead body. The doctors had disappeared from the spot,” he told KNT, alleging that negligence led to the tragedy.
The relatives placed the bodies in the hospital compound and staged a protest, demanding to know the cause of death. They alleged that no doctor arrived to pacify them.
A police team from Rajbagh Police Station reached the hospital and assured the protesters of justice. Station House Officer Ghulam Mohiuddin told KNT that an FIR could be registered only after directions from a Medical Board. “There is a Supreme Court ruling that in such matters a Medical Board should probe the incident and if negligence on part of doctors is proved, police can file an FIR,” he said.
Hospital authorities could not be reached for comment. The Medical Superintendent was reportedly not present in the hospital and repeated attempts to contact him did not materialize. [KNT]
