Woman, newborn die; angry villagers block road for 3 hours
Angry people blocked the road in front of a hospital at Garhi Mansowal in Jhonowal village last night after the death of a woman and her newborn after alleged negligence in the operation (C-section) at a private hospital in the same village. The police have registered a case against the hospital operator on the demand of the relatives of the deceased and the protesters.
During the three-hour long blockade, people raised slogans and demanded registration of a case against the hospital operator and the doctor who performed the operation. They demanded probe into the hospital’s functioning, and till then its closure. During the protest, general secretary of the All-India Jat Mahasabha, Punjab, Ajaib Singh Boparai, sarpanch Surinder Kumar and others were present. Garhshankar SHO Baljinder Singh, police outpost incharge ASI Vasdev reached the spot and on the demand of the protesters registered a case against hospital owner Ashwani Kumar and took him into custody.
In the statement given to the police, Balram Singh Pammu of Mawan village, Ropar district, said his wife Pooja Devi (29) was taken to Prakash Hospital, Jhonowal, on September 17, where Dr Ashwani Kumar told him that they should wait for a day or two or else she will have to undergo surgery. Pooja was admitted on September 20 and the next day an operation was done. Pooja gave birth to a baby boy, but after the operation, the condition of the child and Pooja deteriorated. The child was put on ventilator and later referred to Krishna Hospital, Una.
Pooja’s condition also worsened on September 22, and Dr Ashwani sent her to Gurdev Hospital, Nurpur Bedi, without informing the family. A doctor there said due to excessive bleeding they referred her to the PGI, where she died. Pooja Devi was cremated at her village Mawan.
Meanwhile, on September 23, Krishna Hospital also referred the child to the PGI, where the child also died during treatment. Pammu alleged that Dr Ashwani was negligent in the delivery operation and subsequent treatment of his wife.
