Toilet deliveries bare poor Manjeri medical college hospital infrastructure

Malappuram: The second delivery inside the toilet at the Govt Medical College in Manjeri on Thursday has exposed the horrible conditions and inadequate facilities for pregnant women there. The investigation launched by the hospital authorities is still going on, and they will submit a report to its principal on Monday. They said the 23-year-old gave birth to a baby inside while she was waiting to get admitted to the labour room due to the rush on that day. The probe has found that minor negligence on the part of a nurse led to the incident.

Due to the lack of a peripheral resting place for pregnant women before admitting to the labour room, the woman had to rely on the toilet to change dress during which she got heavy pain and soon delivered a baby on its floor. Both the mother and baby are in good health. The first such incident at the hospital in December last year had drawn huge public outcry after a 24-year-old Dalit woman delivered inside the toilet in the same department of gynaecology. Though the baby had fallen into the closet in the incident both the mother and child escaped without any medical complications.

The Medical College Hospital is still coping up with the limited infrastructural facilities of the former General Hospital upgraded to the MCH four years ago. Around 400 deliveries have been taking place at the 16 bedded labour room per month with an acute shortage of nursing staff. Last month alone registered 430 deliveries. There are only 180 nurses here while more than 200 posts remain vacant.