Botched abortion leads to woman’s death, case filed

The deceased was 4 months pregnant; the doctor told her that the foetus had died after she complained of unbearable pain

GURUGRAM: A woman doctor at a private hospital in Sohna was booked on Sunday for allegedly trying to cover up the death of a pregnant woman, which reportedly resulted from a “botched pregnancy termination surgery”, and sending the body off to another hospital saying she needed urgent care to control her bleeding.

Police said that the deceased, Rani Chauhan (32), was four months pregnant and was under treatment of the woman doctor.

Investigators said she and her husband, Ajay Chauhan, 36, a property dealer from Maruti Kunj in Bhondsi, already had three minor children and this was their fourth pregnancy.

Investigators said the doctor got Rani admitted on Saturday evening after she started complaining about unbearable pain, and allegedly told her that the foetus had died and had to be evacuated.

They said the doctor and the hospital staff kept her in the operation theatre for over three hours.

When Chauhan asked the doctor for an update, she allegedly didn’t reply and started consulting a senior doctor over the phone.

Investigators said Chauhan went inside the theatre to find Rani conscious and weeping. She allegedly asked him to save her as she was in extreme pain following the surgery.

Police said a frantic Chauhan allegedly sought help from the woman doctor and the staff but they put him off saying his wife was merely “panicking”.

But Rani soon collapsed and the doctor and the staff became concerned.

Police said after some time, the hospital administration arranged an ambulance to “shift the woman” and asked Chauhan to rush her to another hospital as she was still bleeding, police said, quoting the husband’s complaint.

Investigators said Chauhan took her to a private hospital in Sector 56 where doctors said his wife had died several minutes ago.

“The woman probably died soon after she collapsed on the table and the doctor and the hospital administration tried to cover up the matter by sending the body to another hospital. However, these are initial suspicions. Everything will become clear after a detailed inquiry,” said a senior police officer, asking not to be named.

The officer also said Chauhan had alleged that Rani was taken to the operation theatre to surgically terminate the pregnancy after failing to perform the same by administering oral medications.

“The hospital administration has denied this and said she was not taken to the OT. To ascertain the truth, we have asked them for the CCTV footage, but the investigating officer is yet to receive it,” he said.

On Chauhan’s complaint, an FIR was registered against the doctor under Section 304A (causing death by negligence) of Indian Penal Code at City Sohna police station on Sunday evening, said police.

POLICE SAID THEY SUSPECT THAT THE WOMAN DIED, AND THAT THE DOCTOR COVERED IT UP BY SENDING THE BODY TO ANOTHER HOSPITAL IN GGM