Source: Express India
40-year-old Usha Devi died in Kolkata while giving birth to twins. The first obvious reason behind her demise is the absence of a proper skilled institutional delivery of her babies. Despite having a State Health card, she was denied admission in two government hospitals and was forced to give birth on a pavement. Usha was assisted only by her husband, a construction worker, as the passers-by were reluctant to help.
This is not the first case of denial of proper pre and post natal healthcare services to low-income/caste group women in India. A similar case was reported last year in Mumbai, where the surviving mother lost her child. With the supposed growth of health sector (both private and public), including adequate number of beds, in the urban metropolises, such instances should not occur at all. Usha should not have been refused an assistance from the hospital where she had been going through her prenatal check-ups, and from the other hospital that was suggested by the former one. So consequently, situation in rural areas must be sorrier as the required number of beds, as per the norms, is around 8 times less.
Right to Health is a basic human right that has also been enclosed in the Directive Principles of our Constitution, and such events should not be taking place. So why do they occur in abundance? One reason may be the lack of A-grade health facilities in public sector hospitals. Increase in medical expenditure has been witnessed more in medical education, creating doctors for the 'elite' private sector hospitals (or maybe for other countries, not that I'm blaming).
In Usha's case, the unavailability of natal services was out of question for she was going through her routine check-ups at the hospital that turned her down at the hour of need by stating that it 'didn't have such facilities'. Here, the victim (yes, the victim) was herself wanting medical care in place of a traditional process, something that the government has always put forth in most of its healthcare programmes and policies. The Kolkata government had commenced a probe into the matter and gave a clean chit to the hospitals, stating that the woman died at her residence. The city had recently faced deaths of several infants at the BC Roy Children's Hospital and is presently under constant public scrutiny.
In Usha's case, the unavailability of natal services was out of question for she was going through her routine check-ups at the hospital that turned her down at the hour of need by stating that it 'didn't have such facilities'. Here, the victim (yes, the victim) was herself wanting medical care in place of a traditional process, something that the government has always put forth in most of its healthcare programmes and policies. The Kolkata government had commenced a probe into the matter and gave a clean chit to the hospitals, stating that the woman died at her residence. The city had recently faced deaths of several infants at the BC Roy Children's Hospital and is presently under constant public scrutiny.
So till the time some 'great solution' is arrived at, let's just hope that the government starts spending more on the health sector than on the defence.
