Hospital Refuses To Admit An UNWED 17-Year-Old Girl After She Gave Birth On The Road

Pregnancy and motherhood are one of the most important moments in a woman’s life. However, it is a sad reality that motherhood is only accepted in the society under certain norms and if someone does not follow those norms then motherhood can be turned into a harrowing experience.

This is exactly what happened when an unwed teen delivered a baby on the road without any medical aid when she was barely a few metres away from the nearest community health centre.

The incident occurred in Jharkhand’s Chandil town on Tuesday morning, when a 17-year-old was found by a passer-by with the umbilical cord still attached to her and her clothes soaked in blood.

Om Prakash Sharma, the man who found her on his morning walk at 4am, told Hindustan Times,

 

“She was in a miserable state. She was shivering and unable to lift and cuddle her infant. Heavy vehicles were crossing by but she didn’t have strength to move aside.

Eventually, we put roadblocks around her and approached the CHC to take away the mother-child. Their response was irritating.”

 

The girl was ignored by the hospital staff when she was writhing in pain. It was also alleged that the nurses of the hospital refused to cooperate on grounds of taking permission from their bosses and from the girl’s parents.

The girl had been driven out of her house when her family found out about her pregnancy, because they feared social stigma. She was begging for alms for several months to survive.

 

Outraged by the hospital’s neglect, the common people stormed the hospital and informed the police about the incident which prompted Dr Lakhindra Hansda of the hospital to rush out and cut the child’s umbilical cord.

The girl was finally admitted to the hospital after two hours, by the people, when the hospital refused to arrange for an ambulance with the excuse that the ambulance driver was not available.

The hospital authorities have reportedly decided to consult an NGO, to take away the girl and her child, in case nobody turns up from her family, after they are discharged.

Doctors are under oath to protect the common man and this kind of negligence towards a helpless person suffering in labour pain is inhumane and shocking, to say the least. Has humanity become so caught up in social stigma that it turns a blind eye to a person in need?