Woman dies after childbirth, kin allege laxity by doctors

The family of a 28-year-old woman has accused doctors at Motherhood Hospitals located in Sahakar Nagar in northern Bengaluru of medical negligence after she died soon after childbirth.

The newborn is said to be critical and has been admitted to another private hospital. The hospital management said the family wished the delivery would take place on Wednesday (Ashtami), which is considered an auspicious day.

Aparna, a resident of Yelahanka New Town, was admitted to the hospital on Tuesday night for delivery. Her family said that since she did not have labour pain, she was given injections for the same later in the day.

But by 5.30 am, the expectant mother complained of severe pain and breathing problems. It was then that the hospital began looking for basic needs to treat her, said Aravind, one of her family friends.

“After she delivered the baby, the staff kept roaming around with the child for 45 minutes without keeping the family in the loop about her condition. It was only later did they inform the family that her condition and that of the child was critical,” he told Deccan Herald.

The woman’s relatives then staged a protest demanding action against the hospital. They also said that when Aparna’s condition had worsened, it was the nurses who attended to her, not the doctors. Even the oxygen cylinder wasn’t kept ready for the patient, they said.

The newborn was later shifted to Rainbow Hospitals in Marathahalli for treatment. Aparna formerly worked as a manager at HDFC Bank. Her husband, Chethan, has lodged a complaint at the Kodigehalli police station.

Dr Mohammed Rehan Sayeed, Chairman, Motherhood Hospitals, said the family wished the delivery would take place on Wednesday (Ashtami) as it was an auspicious day. “She had gestational diabetes. As there were no other complications, we decided to go ahead with it,” he said.

Explaining the woman’s condition, Dr Sayeed said that at the time of delivery, she had amniotic fluid embolism (a condition where the amniotic fluid enters the blood stream). This further led to allergic reactions and hypoxia in both the child and mother, he said.

“Before this, it was observed that the foetal heart rate was dropping. The doctor on duty did the best. The woman was taken in for a crash C-section with an intention to save both the child and mother,” he added. Refuting the family’s claims that there was no doctor, he said that even the duty doctors at the hospital were qualified obstetricians.

Dr N H Vijaya Mohan Reddy, district health officer, Bengaluru Urban, who visited the hospital, said Aparna’s body had been shifted to the M S Ramiah Medical College Hospital for post-mortem. “Based on what is there in the post-mortem report, we will decide on the action,” he added.