The All Tribal Rights’ Protection Forum Manipur (ATRPFM), The INPUI Naga Union (INU), All INPUI Students Union (AISU), INPUI Naga Women Union (INWU) and Longmai Areas Authority Council (LAVAC), condemned the inhumane acts of the hospitals in the strongest term that led to pregnant’s woman tragic demise at 4 a.m. on 6th August, 2020.
A pregnant woman, Mrs. (L) Kapatliu Kamei, w/o Mr. Roshan Palang, a resident of Puichi (Oktan) village, Noney District, died after running between hospitals for 16 hours. The hospitals which are denied admission to the peculiarly dangerous nature of patients are – Senapati District Hospital, JNIMS, RIMS, Imphal Hospital, Raja Medicity, and Shija Hospital. The Manipur Hospitals made excuses to not admit pregnant woman in the name of Covid-19 or lack of doctors to treat her. The victim party had to shuffle between hospitals without either a proper admission or referral.So, an administrative probe has to be set up into the death of a pregnant woman, who was allegedly denied admission to six hospitals and died at the casualty entrance at 4 a.m. of 6th August, 2020. ATRPFM strongly condemned and demanded action against several medical officials and also concluded that private hospitals made “excuses” not to admit her. A probe has to be set up under the CMO of the concerned district and appropriate action has to be taken up in accordance with prevalent Acts and Rules.
As by rules, if the patient cannot be admitted to the District Hospital, a senior employee of the hospital should contact a higher centre for referral. In this case, the patient was not looked at by a senior employee and was turned away. Taking seriousness of the situation, action shall be taken against the staffs and ward nurses for their negligence and inhumane discrimination against a tribal preganant woman only on the ground of caste and religion. The Senapati District Hospital, one the first hospitals approached by the victim’s family, was not admitted and was referred to JNIMS Hospital, Imphal.
When the patient approached private hospitals, an excuse was made that beds are not available, doctors are not available. This delay led to the death of the patient. The hospital staff on duty at the time are held guilty. The district administration will have to issue notices to the hospitals with regards to specific wrongdoings. In the event it is found that the government or private hospitals were not following medical ethics as mandatated, FIR shall be filed against them. As per the sources, the victim’s family had approached Imphal Hospital, Raj Medicity and Shija Hospital apart from the government hospitals. It was alleged that the Government Institute of Medical Sciences too refused the patient.
It was also reported that staff and security personnel of some hospitals made offensive remarks and did not allow the patient to be entered into the hospitals in spite of the peculiarly dangerous nature of the patient. Hence, a probe has to be conducted against staff and security personnel present who refused to admit her. Noney ot the Senapati District administration is demanded for action against the private hospitals as well for alleged negligence. The district administration should “ensure” admission of patients and that “communication” should be established with other hospitals in case of referral to minimise delay of which those 6 hospitals have failed to do so. Hence, ATRPFM demands an inquiry into the matter. The victim’s family begged and knocked on the doors of six hospitals, including government ones, before she died at the gate of the casualty ward, Shija Hospital. The hospital refused to admit her and then they were forced to run from one facility to another, but all refused to admit her. The victim family also tried to get admission in the private facility as well as Government hospitals but were allegedly told that no beds or doctors were available. Finally, they got to the Shija Hospital but it was too late. Hence, ATRPFM and other tribal CSOs demand District Magistrates and the State Government to immediately carry out a probe and take action against the responsible officers and the hospitals. Additionally, the hospitals that denied admission have to pay adequate compensations in accordance with law, failing which ATRPFM along with other civil organisations and the general public will take our own course of action in the matter, which please note.
Leave a Reply