Woman delivers baby in toilet of Government Medical College Hospital at Manjeri

Malappuram: A Dalit woman gave birth to her child in the toilet of the Government Medical College Hospital at Manjeri on Friday night due to alleged medical negligence.

Instead of admitting her to the labour room, the medical staff sent the 24-year-old woman, who had come with labour pains, to the toilet to collect the urine for tests.

“My mother, who went along with her, took the baby out of the closet and fainted,” said her husband Libi Kumar.

“Later, I took the baby to the duty doctor with the help of others in the ward,” he told this newspaper.

The medical staff did not pay much attention even after the delivery happened inside the toilet, he said. Both the mother and the infant were admitted to the intensive care unit and were in good health.

The district medical authorities launched an investigation into the incident after the relatives of the woman lodged a complaint with MCH superintendent Dr. Nandakumar. He said the investigation report will be submitted to the district medical officer. “She came without much pain. So the medication and rudimentary examinations were started before admitting her to the labour room. An internal inquiry will be launched on Sunday,” he said.