Muzaffarnagar, April 10 A woman was forced to deliver her baby on a road outside a government hospital in Shamli district, Uttar Pradesh, after staff allegedly refused to admit her and demanded a bribe, triggering outrage among her family members.
A video of the incident on Thursday night has surfaced on social media, prompting the acting Chief Medical Superintendent to order an investigation into the matter.
According to the family, Usman brought his wife, Kausar, from the village of Asara to the government hospital in Shamli after she complained of labour pains.
The family alleges that the hospital staff demanded a bribe to admit her. When the demand was not met, she was allegedly refused admission.
Forced to leave the hospital to seek treatment elsewhere, the woman went into labour and delivered a baby boy on the road outside the hospital.
Family members and local residents staged a protest following the incident and demanded strict action against those responsible.
Acting Chief Medical Superintendent Ashok Kumar told reporters that an inquiry has been ordered into the incident and strict action will be taken against those found responsible.
A committee has been formed to investigate the matter, he said.
Reacting to the incident, the UP Congress posted on X in Hindi: "Doctors at the Shamli District Hospital refused to admit a pregnant woman. The situation became so dire that the woman was forced to deliver her baby right outside the hospital gates."
"It is alleged that the doctors demanded Rs 50,000 for admission and, upon non-payment, withdrew their medical assistance entirely. Just imagine, had either the mother or the child lost their life during this ordeal, who would have been held accountable?" the party said.
"While the chief minister certainly makes grand claims from public platforms regarding world-class healthcare services, the ground reality, reflected in such daily incidents, is enough to expose those claims," the UP Congress said in its post.
"This deplorable state of affairs in government hospitals serves not only as proof of sheer negligence but also constitutes a blatant disregard for the lives of common people. Absolutely shameful!" it added.