india

Updated: Oct 16, 2019 17:50 IST

A 30-year-old woman in Bihar’s Araria district on Wednesday gave birth to triplets in the compound of the government-run Raniganj Referral Hospital that had minutes earlier allegedly refused to admit her, officials said.

The incident took place at 8 am on Wednesday when Rinku Devi reached Raniganj referral hospital after developing labour pain. “We reached here and requested the auxiliary nursing midwifery (ANM) to examine her but she out rightly refused and instead asked us to go to a private nursing home,” Santosh Yadav, husband of the woman alleged, adding, “We were leaving the hospital when her condition deteriorated and she gave birth to a triplets- two male and one female baby - in the open area on the campus, assisted by few local women.”

As soon as the news spread, medical officer Dr Y P Singh rushed to the spot and ordered the woman be shifted to Araria district hospital. “As soon as I came to know about it, I rushed there and found the woman had already delivered triplets. I called an ambulance and sent the woman and newborn babies to district hospital to get her admitted to the neonatal centre after preliminary treatment.”

He admitted that one ANM identified as Ashmita (known by only one name) had erred by denying her admission and said, “She was immediately transferred to APHC and departmental proceedings have been initiated against her in this regard.”

Araria civil surgeon Dr Suresh Prasad Sinha was in Patna in connection with a meeting and said he had no knowledge of the incident.

A woman who helped Rinku Devi with her delivery said, “We saw her writhing in pain and realized that she was suffering from labour pain. We rushed to her but what a shame that no hospital staff came for help. How could they be so inhuman and insensitive?”

Araria has earned notoriety for mushrooming illegal and unregistered ultrasound centres. Recently Araria district magistrate Baidyanath Yadav taking strong note of the trend and ordered action against illegal nursing homes and unregistered ultrasound centres in the district.

“Even some of the government doctors posted at hospital/referral hospitals/ primary health centre are patronizing such health centres in the district,” locals alleged.