Woman delivers on road in Tirupati; Collector orders probe

Tirupati: Following the pathetic incident reported at the Government Maternity Hospital in Tirupati on Sunday night in which a woman had given birth to a baby girl, District Collector asked the District Medical and Health Officer (DM&HO) Dr U Sreehari to submit an enquiry report. The incident caused ripples among political parties with the TDP and other organisations expressing ire over the negligence of the maternity hospital authorities.

A destitute woman Kanthari had given birth to a baby girl on the road itself about 500 ft away from the maternity hospital. When she fell down with labour pains, the denizens covered blankets around her and helped in the delivery process. Knowing this, hospital staff took her along with the baby to the hospital and admitted.

While the local people alleged that she was not admitted into the maternity hospital as she was not having any attendants with her, hospital authorities have refuted the allegation. They maintained that the woman has not come to get admitted in the hospital and she was not even disclosing any details about her address etc., except her name.

It was learnt that after the incident, urban tahsildar Venkataramana visited the hospital for preliminary enquiry. DM&HO Dr Sreehari told The Hans India that he visited the hospital on Monday morning and talked to the woman. She has been moving around the Alipiri area for the past few days and was not revealing anything. He has tried to find out the male person who was the witness but could not contact him. After completing the enquiry, a report will be submitted to the Collector and the government, he said. Meanwhile, TDP constituency in-charge M Sugunamma flayed the attitude of the Maternity Hospital staff and said it was very unfortunate that a woman has to deliver her child on the road in the pilgrim city. She talked to the woman and her child and asked the doctors to provide better treatment to them. She demanded a thorough probe into the incident.

AIDWA district committee leaders Jayanthi and P Sailakshmi submitted a representation to the superintendent of maternity hospital asking her to take steps so that such incidents do not recur in future. They also alleged that hospital staff behaviour towards women in the hospital was very much objectionable.