Rights Panel Seeks Reports on Torchlight Delivery Incident at Faridabad Hospital

The Haryana Human Rights Commission at its meeting on May 16 has called the birth of a child in a mobile torchlight at the parking lot of a first referral unit (FRU) government hospital in Ballabgarh, Faridabad, “disturbing and inhuman” and asked various authorities to provide detailed reports.

Justice Lalit Batra (retd), chairman of the commission, asked for a detailed report on the entire incident while questioning the implementation of the Haryana government's Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (JSSK) which provides free and safe delivery services in government health institutions.

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The commission noted the incident as a serious lapses in the public healthcare system that occurred when a pregnant woman had not been able to access institutional medical care timely even on reaching the hospital. It observed that the issue relates to rights as enshrined under Article 21 of the Constitution such as the right to life, dignity, health and emergency medical aid. Both mother and child are stable and healthy now, officials said.

Commission assistant registrar Puneet Arora said, “The Commission stated that every pregnant woman is entitled to immediate, safe, and dignified medical care at a government healthcare institution and that if the allegations reported in the media are found to be true, the same would amount to a serious violation of Article 21 of the Constitution.”

The commission asked the additional chief secretary of health and family welfare department of Haryana for an action taken report and policy for providing emergency maternal health care services in government hospitals round the clock, which will be rectified in the future in order to prevent re-occurrence. The director general of health services was queried on doctor, nurse and paramedic availability during the night, if the protocols for emergency obstetrics care were adhered to and any action started by the department. The Faridabad civil surgeon was asked to provide information related to the duty roster of the doctors and the attendance on that night of the accident, if any court is found negligent, action taken against it and reasons for not granting compensation to the victim for violation of human dignity.

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The health centre in charge was requested to provide information regarding the circumstances of the delivery, the status of the emergency gate and the labour room, the time of arrival of the patient and the situation of the mother and the child regarding their health. “All concerned authorities have been directed to submit their detailed reports at least one week prior to the next date of hearing August 19,” Arora said.

The family had reported at 1.40am on 16 May at the FRU where the gates had been locked. The gates opened after several minutes, but by then it was critical and the woman gave birth in the parking lot under the light of the torches. Since the incident, a general duty assistant, who was working with the National Health Mission, was sacked, a security guard present at the time was suspended and a staff nurse was transferred.

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