'Sorry State Of Affairs' | Chhattisgarh HC Takes Suo Moto Cognizance Of Woman Delivering Baby On Health Centre Floor

The Chhattisgarh High Court on Monday took suo moto cognizance of a newspaper report regarding an incident wherein a Woman had to deliver a baby on the floor in the State's Ambikapur Sub Health Centre due to the absence of doctors/nurses.

A bench of Chief Justice Ramesh Sinha and Justice Sachin Singh Rajput called it "a very sorry state of affairs" that the authorities and staff responsible for managing the affairs of the Health Centres remain absent and missing when they are needed the most.

Essentially, the news report in question (on which the division bench took cognizance of the matter) states that a 25-year-old pregnant woman delivered her baby on the floor at the Navanagar Sub Health Centre in Surguja District (Ambikapur) on June 8, 2024, and that too, in the absence of any Doctor or Nurse.

The newspaper further stated that the said lady, experiencing labour pain, arrived at the Sub Health Centre along with Mitanin (Community Health Worker). Still, neither any Doctor nor any nurse was present, and hence, the lady had to deliver the baby on the floor of the Sub Health Centre.

As per the news report, the family members of the lady tried to contact the medical staff, which remained unresponded and as such, the Mitanin helped in delivering the baby.

The traditional midwife from the village took even the postnatal care because only a Class IV employee was available at the said Health Centre. It was also reported that it was not the first occasion where such an incident had happened.

Calling upon the State government to take some stringent measures, the division bench directed the Secretary of the Government of Chhattisgarh, Health and Social Welfare Department, to file his personal affidavit regarding the steps taken concerning the incident.

The Secretary has further been asked to ensure that the video which has been made viral online is also stopped immediately from being circulated any further

When asked what actions had been taken against the concerned Medical Officer, the Additional Advocate General Yashwant Singh Thakur submitted that an enquiry had been ordered and that the officer had been placed under suspension with immediate effect.

Taking these submissions on record, the Court directed the Secretary of State Govt to inform the Court about the steps, if any, he took regarding posting any other Medical Officer at the said Sub Health Centre, as the delinquent Medical Officer concerned had already been placed under suspension.

The matter will be heard next on June 14.