NHRC seeks comments from GTB Hospital on complaint by patient

New Delhi, Sept 11 (UNI) Taking suo-motu cognizance of a media report that a Delhi hospital did not admit a pregnant woman till her family arranged blood, the National Human Rights Commission has sought comments within two weeks from the Delhi health Secretary and the Medical superintendent of the GTB Hospital.

The Commission said if the contents of the report were true, the incident raise a serious issue of violation of right to health of the citizen.

The NHRC directed that a copy of the report be sent to the Health Secretary and Medical Superintendent of GTB Hospital.

The report, which appeared on August 18, said Mohammad Afaq, a resident of Loni, Uttar Pradesh, was compelled to spend 40 hours moving from one government hospital to another for treatment of his pregnant wife Naima.

When he went to GTB hospital, Shahdara, Delhi on August 14, the doctor at the Septic Labour Room (SLR) recommended a caesarian delivery and asked Afaq to arrange one unit of blood so that the patient could be admitted.

Due to her critical condition Afaq took her to Swami Dayanand Hospital, Shahdara, there also the doctors demanded blood.

However, at the instance of a local, MLA his wife was admitted in the hospital but the doctor on the night duty, Dr Nidhi, discharged his wife at 2300 hrs on account of non-arrangement of blood.

Afaq again came back to the GTB and Naima was admitted on the condition of arranging blood later.

After he arranged and deposited one unit of blood on August 16 his wife was operated upon in the GTB hospital.

The report also mentioned that three women patients in ward number 13 of the hospital made similar complaints that attendants with them had also donated blood, though they did not require blood during their operation.

The news report also highlighted that blood was demanded before the admission of all the pregnant women and majority of them did not require blood.

However, GTB Medical Superintendent Dr L C Thakur maintained that there were no complaints about non-admission of patients without blood in the hospital.

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