MBMC under human rights lens for poor health services
SHRC had taken suo motu cognizance of reports about woman giving birth in local train after being turned away by 2 hospitals
After taking suo motu cognizance of the horrifying incident in which a 26-year-old woman became a victim of unethical medical conduct and ended up in giving birth to a baby in a crowded local train, the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) has sought a clarification from the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) and the Directorate of Health in context to the ambiguities.
After going into labour in the wee hours of October 25, last year, Surekha Waaghe was refused admission in two healthcare facilities, including the MBMC-run Bharat Ratna Pandit Bhimsen Joshi Hospital (Tembha) in Bhayandar and the Shatabdi Hospital in Kandivali. This left her husband Sushil with no other option but to board a local train with her and head towards a hospital in Mumbai Central.
Writhing in pain, Surekha delivered a baby girl inside the compartment when the train was approaching the Dadar station. With the help of Railway Police Force (RPF) personnel, Sushil rushed his profusely bleeding wife to KEM hospital, where doctors cut the umbilical cord of the extremely underweight newborn and admitted her to the Intensive Care Unit. The incident which grabbed the attention of the national media, prompted the SHRC to intervene and issue notices to concerned authorities.
Meanwhile social crusader Milan Mhatre also intervened, highlighting the deplorable healthcare infrastructure and the flaws committed by the MBMC in respect to implementation of orders passed by the judiciary pertaining to the functioning of the civic hospital in Bhayandar. The SHRC also pointed out that right from the National Human Rights Commission to the apex court and various high courts have been emphasising that a right to proper medical care is a fundamental right and such lapses amount to violation of human rights.