Anantnag: Pregnant woman dies due to medical negligence; doctor, nurse suspended

In a rather unfortunate incident, which took place in Anantnag in Jammu and Kashmir, a woman died of medical negligence and the family in order to protest, took her body out on the road on a stretcher as they were asked by the doctors to shift the body to DC office for showing it as a Covid-19 death to hush-up the matter. 

A video that surfaced on Twitter shows that the body is being carried by the woman's family members on a stretcher all by themselves. The woman has been identified as Sakeena, wife of Zahoor Ahmad Bhat of Salia in Anantnag. She was stated to be pregnant. A doctor and a nurse have been suspended following the case.

The family members of the deceased alleged that the death happened due to medical negligence and protested by carrying the dead body out of the hospital on a trolley, and the video went viral.

She was taken to Sub District Hospital (SDH) Seer Hamdan on late Saturday evening. She was later shifted to the Maternity and Child Care Hospital (MCCH) Anantnag where she died on Sunday morning.

'Delayed treatment killed her'

Her family stated that the only reason for her death was delayed treatment and held the medical staff responsible for her death.

According to one of the family members, "The doctors didn't attend to her while the patient was going through pain. The doctors asked us to shift Sakeena to the Maternity and Child Care hospital even when we had already spent hours together at SDH Seer. It is sheer negligence by the doctors which led to her death."

In order to protest, they took the body outside the hospital on a stretcher and demanded stern action against the doctors and other medical staff deputed at SDH Seer.

Another member of the family revealed, "The doctors are asking us to shift the body to the DC office. They want to make it a case of coronavirus and dispose-off the entire matter."

A week ago another woman had died at the same hospital, along with her unborn twins. The woman, who eventually was declared COVID-19 positive, came from a Red Zone area and had been allegedly denied the needed treatment.

Meanwhile, according to an official statement, a doctor and a nurse from SDH Seer Hamadan have been suspended following the case. Chief Medical Officer Anantnag, Mukhtar Ahmad Shah, was quoted as saying that the Block Medical Officer has ordered an enquiry into the case.

When asked about whether the family was provided with a vehicle to take the body home, Shah said, "The family took out the body on a hospital trolley to protest against the doctors and nurse. We later took the dead body and family members to their native village in an ambulance."

The latest update comes from Chairman of District Legal Services Authority (Principal District & Sessions Judge), Anantnag, stating that SSP Anantnag will either hold an enquiry by himself or anyother officer who is not below the rank of SP will conduct the enquiry. The SSP will have to submit periodic report to the Chairman and if it is found that the woman died of medical negligence; it will amount to legal prpceedings against all those who are responsible.