61-Yr-Old Woman Moves Delhi HC For Better Health Facilities, Basic Amenities [Read Petition]

A 61-year-old woman social worker on Wednesday moved the Delhi High Court praying for a direction to the Centre and Delhi government for establishing a hospital with maternal care and also proper public toilets for women in the Najafgarh area in South west Delhi.Petitioner Parmeshwari Devi moved the petition ruing the lack of government health facilities and basic amenities in the region.

In her petition filed through advocate Abhishek Kumar Choudhary, the petitioner said, “One can guarantee delivery of a pizza in 30 minutes in India, but not the arrival of ambulance.”

She highlighted “massive problem of not having a single government hospital in the area of Najafgarh because of which the pregnant women of the Najafgarh area face great risk and pain when they require a hospital for delivery as the other hospitals are very far off, because of which, both the mother and the baby are put to risk. Many times, the woman or the baby’s life is lost because of no nearby government hospital. Thus, the Najafgarh area has been a very neglected one”.

She said there is much lower proportion of mothers receiving maternity care among the poorest quartile; only 54 per cent of pregnant women had at least three ante-natal care visits compared to 83 per cent for the rest of the urban population.

She prayed for a direction to the government to establish government hospitals in the Najafgarh region. Besides, she sought better toilet facilities for public, especially women, in the region.