Denied treatment by five hospitals, expectant mother dies
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, August 06 2020:
Following denial of treatment by as many as five Government and private hospitals, an expectant mother died together with her unborn baby early this morning.
Taking serious note of the incident, the Health Department has issued an order whereby an enquiry committee has been constituted to investigate into the incident and the committee has been instructed to submit its report within a week.
Another order issued by the same department categorically stated that befitting action would be taken up as per relevant laws in case any Government hospitals, private hospitals, veterinary hospitals and other medical establishments deny medical services to non-COVID-19 patients because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The woman who had died along with her unborn baby was one Kanpatliu Kamei (20) w/o Roshan Balang of Oktan (Puichi) village, Tamenglong district, the village lying near Senapati.
Kanpatliu was first taken to Senapati district hospital along IT Road at around 2 pm yesterday and doctors advised her to stay at the hospital for child delivery.
It was only at around 10.30 pm that the district hospital doctors told Kanpatliu's party to take her to Imphal.
As per the doctors' advise, a private vehicle was hired and the expectant mother was brought to Imphal.
They reached JNIMS at around 12.30 am today.
But the JNIMS staff denied any medical service to the expectant mother even after her COVID-19 test result which certified her to be negative was shown to them.
Displaying utter indifference, nurses who were present there did not even allow the patient party to take the patient inside the hospital on the pretext that no doctor was present at that time.
In their frantic search for other alternatives, the patient was taken to RIMS with the help of a young man who runs a pharmacy at the periphery of JNIMS complex.
But they met with the same disappointing treatment at RIMS too.
Kanpatliu was then taken to Imphal Hospital and Raj Medicity but these private hospitals too turned her out.
Finally, Kanpatliu was taken to Shija Hospital and Research Institute but she expired at the entrance of the hospital's casualty ward at around 4 am before doctors could attend to her.
Taking serious note of the shocking incident, Health Department Joint Secretary R Rang Peter has issued an order an enquiry committee has been constituted.
The order stated that hospitals concerned should cooperate with the enquiry committee and the committee should submit its report within one week.
Meanwhile another order issued by Principal Secretary (Health & Family Welfare) V Vumlunmang while noting that many health care facilities have been denying service to patients due to COVID-19 pandemic, has directed hospitals, veterinary hospitals and other medical establishments, both public and private sector, to remain functional as instructed by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare and Ministry of Home Affairs.
It instructed all Government and private hospitals to ensure that all patients who reach their facility are attended to promptly, specially emergency and time bound cases.
To enable prompt COVID testing, the State Government would provide rapid antigen kits to hospitals through the Directorate of Health Services, it assured.
Any violation of this order would be viewed very seriously and action will be taken under the Manipur Nursing Homes & Clinical Registration Act 1992 and Disaster Management Act 2005, warned the Principal Secretary (Health & Family Welfare) .
Meanwhile, the Federation of All Tribal Youth Clubs, Manipur (FATYCM) has expressed strong resentment over the circumstances which led to the death of Kanpatliu.
It condemned the State Government as well as the Health Minister for their inefficiency to meet any urgency at this point of time.
It further condemned all the MLAs elected from hill districts for the alleged failure to discharge their duties as people's representatives to equip every hill district hospital with the latest available technology to serve the people.
Had there been proper medical facility at the hill district hospitals, many patients would not have died, it rued.
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