After nine months of pregnancy, what would it be for a mother to lose her child due to medical negligence?

This is what a sorrowing mother Dr. Priya, Sr. Resident at ANIIMS has to narrate…

 “Ek Maa jo Maa ni Bbnn Paai, Uski Dard Bhari Pukaar….”

A mother never gets over losing her child. It doesn’t matter how long it’s been, how old her child was when she died, or the reasons they were taken away, grief doesn’t expire.

Never tell a mother whose child died to move, get over it, or be happy that their child is in heaven now.

You are sick of hearing about? She has to live it every single day...

I’m Dr. Priya, W/o Dr. Sameer Ahmed, who belongs to Tribal community of Car Nicobar. I am also a Senior Resident in the Department of Pathology (ANIIMS) of G.B. Pant Hospital.

During my pregnancy, the initial antenatal visits were taken care of by Dr. M.K, Saha. There were no complications with no medical and surgical history i.e. no diabetes, no hypertension, no anemia, no nothing.

Since August 2020, Dr. M.K. Saha was posted as an officer for Covid-19 duties. My expected delivery date was 28^th August.

On 23^rd of August pain developed, gradually and so we visited G.B. Pant Hospital, but the doctor over there examined me and had sent me back home, advising that the pain would be of severe intensity and more frequent, which will increase progressively. But, after that I was passing thick white mucus, per vaginally and I had informed to Dr. M.K Saha sir.

On 27^th August again I had developed pain, so I visited G.B. Pant Hospital and there Dr. Pinky & Dr. Manju examined me, did stripping of membranes also and advised me to get admitted by 28^th August. On 27^th, Dr. Pinky did an USG, in which my amniotic fluid index (AFI) was near borderline for vaginal delivery.

Also, she asked me whether I wanted to undergo a normal or an operative (caesarean) delivery. I was ready for anything.

After doing P/V on 27^th, Dr. Pinky told me to come on 28^th August, so we again visited for getting admitted. We met Dr. Pinky & Dr. Manju along with Dr. Apeksha, Dr. Seema & other interns. Dr. Pinky initiated her sentence with the line, “Listen Doctor, this is not a private hospital”. She frightened us by saying that you’ll feel unbearable pain if we’d do induction for normal labor ( she told us that we’ll insert a Foley’s catheter for up to 6 hours and then we will give gel push, which will cause a lot of discomfort and pain).

Even after hearing all this, I told them “ I’m ready to bear any amount of pain, so kindly admit me”, keeping the fact in mind that I was passing blood along with fluid, that was well informed to Dr. Pinky.

After this conversation, Dr. Pinky & Dr. Manju started asking me questions related to their subject (i.e. Obstetrics and Gynaecology) and laughed over me along with others. Dr. Manju asked me to get my Covid test done.

After a while, they told me to come on Monday for admission without giving any logic or reason. Even after requesting, they didn’t let me get admitted on 28^th, knowing this that my fluid and blood loss was continuously happening. We were begging in front of them to admit us, the only thing we didn’t have was a bowl in our hands. Dr pinki & Dr manju asked me to go home & come on Monday without even touching or examining me.How can a doctor send home a post-dated patient home without even examining ?

Then that day itself I got my Covid test done, that came out to be negative. During these 3 days, i.e. from 28^th to 30^th August, I was passing blood and mucus per vaginally, for which I had called Dr. Pinky and Dr. Manju repeatedly, but they both didn’t accept my call. Then, my mother-in-law suggested me to drop a message to Dr. Manju regarding this.

I also told her that I am having pain on and off along with before mentioned symptoms. She advised me to get admitted by the night of 30^th August or on 31^st if I developed intense-frequent pain.

Then, as per their advice, we went on early morning to G.B. Pant hospital, searching for Dr. Manju and couldn’t find her there. Then I called her via phone and asked her to come over.

She refused to come and she told me that Dr. Apeksha (SR) is there, she will examine you right away and will tell me the findings.

After this talk, I went to meet Dr. Apeksha & there she denied examining me and said that she will take rounds of labor ward and would later examine. She took 2 ½ hours to finish her rounds, meanwhile my husband and mother-in-law were standing outside, waiting.

After taking rounds, Dr. Apeksha came to me, did a P/V examination and told me to come by 4 pm for induction of labor.

After that, she had her cup of tea & then did my NST in which no cardiac (heart) activity was detected. Dr. Apeksha told me that NST machine is not working, so she said she’ll do an USG.

On USG, there were no fetal movements or cardiac activity detected, with AFI (Amniotic Fluid Index) as 0 (zero). The baby died in utero.

Me being a doctor understood this and started crying like anything, but Dr. Apeksha kept hiding this fact and said that USG will be done again and left me in dilemma. Then Dr. Dubey, after getting a call from Dept. of Obs and Gynae, hearing about this emergency, rushed to the labor ward. He did USG along with colour Doppler and revealed the heart breaking news to us.

Dr. Apeksha was sitting comfortably and didn’t even get bothered about anything, even after hearing and seeing all this.

I and my whole family broke down and didn’t know how to react and digest such a devastating trauma.

Still Dr. Apeksha was comfortable and watched us from a distance.

After the baby’s demise, Dr. Manju came.

My husband, being a Surgeon, knew that it was an emergency situation as chances of sepsis are increased when baby dies in utero. My husband saved me by shouting on them (Dr. Manju & Dr. Apeksha) to get me induced at least now.

Those 2 doctors were so casual and were so lazy and showed no immediate response.

Within 6 hours of gel push, the baby girl was delivered very beautifully by Dr. Juliet (JR, Obs & Gynae) and she was very kind & supportive to us.

Even after knowing all this, after the fetal demise, Dr. Manju & Dr. Pinky were not present during my delivery nor had they had called at least once to enquire about my condition.

POINTS OF NEGLIGENCE

- Neither have they did any pulse, BP, auscultation and also when I was having blood and fluid loss per vaginally, even without touching the patient, even when we were ready to undergo any extent of pain why did they ask us to come after 3 days?

- How can they humiliate any patient by asking her questions regarding obstetrics and gynaecology and laughed loud at us in groups (Dr. Pinky & Dr. Manju especially)

- What did Dr. Pinky mean by saying me that “this is not a private hospital”?

- How can Dr. Manju manage a post-dated female over phone?

- Why Dr. Pinky & Dr. Manju were not present during my delivery, even after knowing this that baby was dead?

- Dr. Pinky was least bothered about knowing the details about the baby , like when she was born, didn’t knew the condition of dead fetus, whether she was meconium stained, neither knew or enquired about my state?

- How did Dr. Apeksha advise us to come by 4 pm, just by doing P/V examination, without even auscultating for fetal heart sound?

- How can Dr. Apeksha drink beverage in front of us right at the time when I discovered that the bay is dead?

- How can Dr. Apeksha make me, a post-dated pregnant woman wait for more than 2 ½ hours?

- Knowing about the fact that the AFI was borderline, why did they delay the pregnancy so much?

- Me being a doctor, if I’m getting such a level of harassment, so what would a layman women do in these kind of situations?

- What is their main motive of coming here, is it to earn money or to save lives? We feel that they have just come to earn money.

- Why don’t they have death review in the hospital?

- Do every single person have to beg so as to get treated?

- How can one rely on these people that an uneventful pregnancy will land up in such a devastating outcome ?

We are doctors, we know very well that life and death depends on God. But, what we can do from our side was efforts, which was absent, nearly zero from their side. In the end I would like to say that all those people of such a beautiful islands, who have been victims for some or the other issue, please do connect with me.