Specify action taken against doctors in Gadwal case: HC

Young mother, along with newborn, died after being turned away by various hospitals

Telangana High Court on Wednesday sought to know from the State government what action was taken against the doctors whose inappropriate response eventually resulted in the maternal death of 20-year-old Jenila from Jogulamba Gadwal district.

Unending ordeal

The pregnant woman was sent from one government hospital to another after she first went to a primary health centre in Rajojli on April 23 with mild abnormal pain. She was referred to Gadwal District Hospital the next day and from there, shifted to the Mahbubnagar district hospital. She was next moved to the Sultan Bazar Hospital, Gandhi Hospital and Petlaburz Hospital where she gave birth to a baby boy on April 26. The newborn died a few hours later.

The next day, she too died while undergoing treatment at Osmania General Hospital. Hearing two PIL pleas on her death, a division bench headed by Chief Justice Raghvendra Singh Chauhan had issued notices to the government.

Meanwhile, the government filed a report in the HC stating that an inquiry committee report had identified six doctors whose inappropriate response resulted in the maternal death.

The report said that action was being initiated against the six doctors.

The report, however, did not mention precise details of the action to be taken against the doctors. Special Chief Secretary (Medical, Health and Family Welfare) A. Santhi Kumari, who filed the report on government’s behalf, stated that “disciplinary action was being taken against the doctors as per Classification, Control and Appeal (CCA) rules”.

‘Need complete details’

Hearing the two PIL pleas in the case, the bench instructed the government to furnish a fresh report with complete details of criminal cases registered against the doctors responsible for the woman’s maternal death.

Referring to the earlier report filed by government, the bench noted that it was silent on the court’s direction to ensure deployment of adequate number of ambulances on State and national highways so that women from rural areas could be easily transported to hospitals.

Amicus curiae

Justice B. Vijaysen Reddy mooted the idea of appointing retired superintendent of Gandhi or Osmania hospital or retired Medical and Health Secretary as amicus curiae to assist the HC in adjudication of the case. “It is a harsh reality that pregnant women are denied admission and treatment in government hospitals suspecting them to be COVID-19 patients,” the CJ observed.

“Mere departmental action against erring doctors is not suffice. Criminal cases should be registered against them for medical negligence so that it becomes a deterrent for other doctors,” the CJ added.