Infant, Mother Die Amid Lack Of Medical Facilities, Telangana HC Seeks Report On Conditions At District, Taluk & Village Level Govt Hospitals

The Telangana High Court has directed the Principal Secretary, Medical Health and Family Welfare Department to file a detailed counter submitting particulars regarding availability of medical facilities in various Government hospitals at the district, taluka and village level.

“Respondent number 1, shall give material particulars regarding: (i) Budget allocated for extending facilities to all government hospitals (ii) The facilities available (iii) Availability of doctors, in District, Taluka and Primary Health Centres located in villages,” it ordered.

The Court was hearing a suo moto PIL based on a news article published in June after a young 24 year old mother and her new born baby lost their lives due to lack of equipment and specialized doctors in government hospitals.

The news article stated that a resident of the Yelmapalli Village, Kurnool District, due to labour pains was taken to the Primary Health Care Centre, Padara. The doctor examined the deceased and she was asked to be taken to the Amrabad Hospital for further treatment and delivery. The Amrabad Hospital due to deficiency of equipment and specialized doctors sent the deceased to another hospital.

There too, the deceased faced the same fate. Finally after travelling 124 kms and visiting 4 different hospitals that could not give her required medical attention, the deceased along with her parents reached Mahboobnagar District General Hospital, where the delivery was performed and a baby boy was delivered.

Post delivery, the mother developed fits and needed to be put on ventilator, but the hospital was not able to provide the same and the new mother could not be saved. The new born child died soon after.

“The issue with regard to medical facilities available to the residents require serious consideration,” the Division bench of Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice T. Vinod Kumar observed.

Case Title: News Item published in the Eenadu Telugu Daily News Paper vs. The State of Telangana