Mumbai: Ignored for 11 hours by 3 hospitals, woman and unborn child die

Meenatai Thackeray officials told the woman no bed was available But midday found the ward empty the next dayA 25yearold woman in her eighth month of pregnancy collapsed and died on September 11 after being shunted across three hospitals She was registered for childbirth at a civicrun hospital in Nerul but was refused admission on the grounds that there was no bed available midday however found that the officials had tried to cover up the absence of a gynaecologist with that lieMeenatai Thackeray Hospital in Nerul refused admission citing shortage of bedsOn September 9 the expectant mother and resident of Sanpada Pinky Chavan developed pain in the abdomen and began coughing too Her family suspecting that her delivery was due took her to Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporationrun Meenatai Thackeray Hospital in Sector 15 of Nerul where she had been registered for childbirth ldquoThe doctor there suspected that she was showing early signs of a heart attack and also refused admission citing shortage of beds in the maternity ward The doctor advised us to take her to a civic bodyrun hospital in Vashirdquo said Pinkyrsquos uncle Shivaji ChavanTurned away a second timeThe family instead took her home after the pain subsided But by evening Pinky again began complaining of abdominal pain ldquoWe took her to a Vashi corporationrun hospital The doctor advised immediate admission but turned us away citing the same reason of nonavailability of beds We were then referred to DY Patil Hospital in Nerulrdquo said ShivajiSpooked by high billsWhen the family rushed Pinky to DY Patil Hospital the onduty doctor told them categorically that the hospital bills could run up Rs 6000070000 and recommended that they take her to the staterun JJ Hospital in Mumbai Central ldquoWe sell balloons for a living Yet we said we could rustle up R25000 but the doctor still referred us to JJ Hospitalrdquo said ShivajiAlso Read Thane Woman delivers on street after civic hospital denies entry child diesAll through the ordeal at no point was the family offered the services of 108 ambulance mdash mandatory in such cases ldquoWe had to arrange for a vehicle of our own to take her to JJ Hospital By the time we managed to get a vehicle of our own it was past 3 am on September 10rdquo alleged the uncleCollapsed at JJThe family pulled into JJ Hospital an hour and a half later But their tragedy had just begun to unfoldThere the family was told that there was no doctor available since it was a Sunday Around 5 am Pinky claimed to be feeling better and asked for food ldquoWe offered her milk and some biscuits and then we stepped out for some tea Soon after some relatives who were keeping an eye on her told us that she collapsed and was taken to the cardiac care unitrdquo said ShivajiThe hospital staff assured the family that once she regained consciousness a Csection would be performed to save the child But at 5 pm the familyrsquos lives crumbled when they found out that both Pinky and her child had not survived Doctors blamed myocardial infarction heart attack for her deathA case of accidental death was registered at the JJ Marg police station and the body sent to JJ Hospitalrsquos postmortem centre on Monday The final cause of death will be revealed only after the hystopathology and viscera findings are inBaby could have been savedA forensic surgeon at JJ however said the baby could have been saved had a timely Csection been performed ldquoThe baby a boy weighed over 2 kgrdquo and was healthy enough to surviveRead Story Shocking Denied admission pregnant woman dies of dengueThe autopsy surgeon found that Pinky had an enlarged liver and red patches around her heart which indicate some underlying ailmentDr YS Nandanwar professor and head of the department of obstetrician and gynaecology LTMG Hospital said if there are chances of saving a baby Csections can be performed prior to completion of the full term of pregnancy