Woman delivers stillborn baby in hospital lab

CHANDIGARH - Amid high drama, a woman gave birth to a stillborn baby in a government hospital’s laboratory here Wednesday and her husband said the doctors failed to attend to her due to non-completion of formalities for a medical card.

Bulbul and her husband Chottu Ram came to the government multi-specialty hospital in Sector 16 here from Punjab’s Patiala town, some 70 km from here.

“I have lost my child due to the negligence of hospital staff,” Chottu Ram said.

“My wife was nine months pregnant and we had come for regular check-up as Bulbul was not feeling well since yesterday,” he said.

“After reaching here, I appealed to the doctors to immediately check her but they told us to first bring a patient medical card,” Chottu Ram told reporters here.

“There was a long queue and the condition of my wife deteriorated,” he said.

“Then I had to run here and there in search of Rs.2 as I was not carrying change at that time. Even after this they did not send us to any doctor and told us to go to blood-test laboratory. At that time, my wife was in immense pain and she delivered the child,” he said.

The family members of the victim raised slogans against the hospital and demanded strict action.

“We are looking into this matter. If we find anyone at fault then strict action will be taken against him,” said a senior official of the hospital.