The National Human Rights Commission on Thursday issued a notice to the Madhya Pradesh government following reports that newborn twin girls had died at a hospital in the state after doctors refused to attend to their mother, who was found to be positive for the Human Immunodeficiency Virus.
On Wednesday, the 24-year-old woman reportedly delivered the twins outside the maternity ward after she was turned away by the Tikamgarh District Hospital in Madhya Pradesh. Her husband has alleged that the doctors had refused to treat her after she was found to be HIV positive, PTI reported.
“It is indeed the worst example of cruelty by the doctors and hospital staff, who turned their backs on a patient whose life was in danger and was in extreme need of medical care,” the human rights commission said. “The doctors should have been compassionate towards the woman, who was seeing her two newly born babies dying in front of her.”
The couple had travelled more than 70 km from their village to come to the hospital for treatment.
The NHRC has directed the Madhya Pradesh government and the state chief secretary to submit a detailed report on the incident and on the action initiated against the doctors and other hospital staff in four weeks.
The doctors, however, called the allegations baseless and claimed that the woman was told the foetuses were underdeveloped.
“We suggested to the family members to take her to neighbouring Jhansi or any other town, but they insisted on getting treated here,” Ramesh Dandotiya, the civil surgeon at the Tikamgarh District Hospital, told PTI. “It was not possible to save the infants due to inadequate equipment and expertise here.”
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