A woman was compelled to deliver her baby in the park of a government hospital in Faridabad during the early hours of Saturday after her family encountered the main gate locked and could not secure immediate assistance from any doctor or nurse. They had to manage the childbirth on their own under the light of a mobile phone torch.
Incident Details
The incident occurred at the 30-bed First Referral Unit hospital in Sector 3 around 1:40 am. Balesh, a resident of Badoli village, was brought to the hospital after going into labor. Her family reported that upon arriving at the main gate, they found it shut. Despite repeated knocking and shouting for help, they received no response. According to Balesh, the family then located another gate at the back, which was open, and entered the premises seeking assistance. Even then, she alleged, no doctor, nurse, or support staff came to their aid.
As labor progressed rapidly and no medical team was available, the baby was delivered in the hospital park area with the help of a relative. The procedures were performed under torchlight in the park before the mother and newborn were moved inside the hospital. Balesh stated, “My husband and brother-in-law kept shouting for help after entering the hospital premises, but no staff came. By the time help reached us, the delivery had already taken place.”
Family's Account
Chaman Chandila, who accompanied Balesh, said, “The baby was delivered by a woman in the family who had some experience handling childbirth.” Balesh, who already has two sons, gave birth to her third boy.
Official Response
District deputy civil surgeon Dr. Rachna noted that the woman arrived in a fully dilated condition and delivered within minutes. “The OPD gate was shut at night, though another gate was open for emergency services. It is unfortunate that the delivery took place outside the hospital,” she added.
The health department ordered an inquiry on the directions of the health minister and director general of health services. Virender Yadav, Haryana's National Health Mission director, said the inquiry found clear lapses in night duty. “There were deficiencies. The issue was the non-availability of an employee and a staff nurse at night. The patient's attendants said they could not find them when they searched,” he added.
Action Taken
Yadav stated that while the hospital had been keeping one gate shut at night, it has now been instructed to keep both gates accessible. “The main road entry should remain open at night, while the OPD side will remain barricaded. We found two staff guilty. They were suspended,” he added.
The government, Yadav said, would establish a maternal and infant mortality “war room” within one or two months to track pregnant women and improve emergency response.
