Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Jul 22: Dakshina Kannada district deputy commissioner, A B Ibrahim, has ordered a detailed investigation into the death of puerperal women in two government and five private hospitals of the district during the last three month. He has constituted a committee of five expert doctors for the purpose, headed by the district health officer. The committee has been asked to submit its report within a month.

He announced this decision after getting information about the deaths of women during post-delivery period at the meeting of the district health and family welfare mission committee held on Tuesday July 21 at the auditorium of the office of the deputy commissioner here.

The DC said that he decided to form the committee, after prima facie getting the notion that negligence of doctors and hospitals were involved with these incidents, duly observing that seven women had died during the last three months during child birth. 'The committee will meet families of the deceased women and check medical records. The committee is required to file report within a month. In future too, this committee will look into incidents of death of women during child birth,' he said.

He observed that the possibility of endangering the lives of women increases if the deliveries take place in local hospitals and they are referred to bigger hospitals after the situation turns critical. Therefore, he asked the hospitals concerned to properly assess the availability of sufficient facilities and expert doctors before the women are admitted into maternity wards. He said in cases where shortage of facilities or doctors are found, such cases should be referred to better hospitals immediately.

He also ordered the district health officer to check whether all the nurses and paramedical staff working in private hospitals have acquired eligibility norms to discharge duties there after getting suitable education and training.

He felt that the hospitals have not made efforts to provide succor to patients, and no efforts were made to explain complexities of child birth to family members. He asked the committee to hand over a copy of the report to the families concerned.

Zilla panchayat chief executive officer, Sreevidya, Wenlock hospital superintendent, Dr Rajeshwari Devi, Lady Goschen Hospital superintendent, Dr Shakuntala, distinct RCH officer, Dr Rukmini, and others were present.