Corona positive woman in active labour travels 100 km for delivery

Srinagar: It is said that nothing is more excruciating than labour pain. But Shada's turmoil has not ended even after delivering her child. Now tested positive for Covid-19, an endless rigmarole caused due to reluctant medical officials and unclear administrative orders, made her travel for 100 km in an active labour condition to deliver her baby. Shada is a resident of Telwani in Anantnag, which has been classified as a coronavirus red zone.

She was at her parents' house in Shergund when she began experiencing labour pains.Her husband, Javed took her to a nearby government primary health care centre in Shangus at around 8 pm on Friday. There, doctors told the couple to go to Achabal, which is located 8 km away.

"We were put in an ambulance and when we reached Achabal Hospital, there was a male doctor who referred us to the Maternity and Childcare Hospital in Anantnag," Javed said. However, that was not the end of the road for the suffering pregnant woman. At Anantnag, the couple was told that red zone patients were not allowed, and again referred them to the SKIMS Medical College in Srinagar.

The staff refused to even check the condition of Shada before declaring their verdict.The couple reached SKIMS in the dead of the night at 1.30 am, to again be sent back. The callous refusal to even take a look at Shada continued here as well."They did not look at Shada and told us to go to Lal Ded hospital. They said this hospital was for Covid-19 patients," Javed said.

They reached Lal Ded hospital at around 2 pm. Shada was admitted and she delivered her baby on Saturday. But the happiness was short-lived. A call would bring bad news for Javed; her wife had tested positive for the novel coronavirus disease. Soon, they were put in an ambulance and taken to a special Covid-19 hospital in Bijbehara, Anantnag.

An investigation against the hospital administration, for flouting Covid protocol, is ongoing. On April 25, the hospital administration had handed over bodies of the previously mentioned woman and her twins, without waiting for their coronavirus test results. This exposed about 500 people, who attended their last rites, to the risk of infection. The principal of the Government Medical College, Anantnag, says that normal delivery cases should have been taken care of in the District.He blamed the Department of Health Services but says nothing about frequent referrals from the hospital that is under his administrative control.