Probe into death of mother-newborn after delivery under 'mobile phone light' in hospital

Seraikela (Jharkhand), May 4 (PTI) The Seraikela-Kharsawan district administration has constituted a committee to probe into alleged death of a mother and newborn child due to negligence by doctors and nurses at Community Health Centre (CHC) in Rajnagar block in the district, an official said on Monday.
    Seraikela-Kharsawan Deputy Commissioner Nitish Kumar Singh told PTI on Monday that a three-member team led by Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Seraikela Abhinav Prakash and comprising Civil Surgeon Seraikela Kharsawan Dr Saryu Prasad Singh and a senior gynaecologist associated with Sadar Hospital Seraikela-Kharsawan Dr Shivlal Kunkal will be investigating into the reason for the death and alleged power failure during the delivery process and submit a report by Monday evening.
    "The victim's husband has alleged that the delivery process of his wife was done in the light of a mobile flashlight due to power failure. There are multiple sources of power in a health centre—an inverter, a solar power system, diesel generator set and power supply from the government. The team will examine how the power supply to the hospital failed despite so many sources," the deputy commissioner said.
    The probe team will also examine the medical reasons for the death during the delivery process.
    "The team has been asked to submit its report by Monday evening," the official added.
    Victim's husband, Durga Charan Banra, claimed that his wife, Binita Banra, herself a community health worker (Sahiya) at Hathisiring area of Rajnagar, had been admitted at the Community Health Centre in Rajnagar for delivery of her third child on Thursday.
    "We have two daughters, and this was her third child. After admission to the hospital on Thursday, she had labour pain and was taken for a normal delivery by the doctors and nurses on Thursday night. However, there was a power disruption in the hospital, and the delivery was done using a mobile phone flashlight," said Banra.
    He further alleged that the doctors and nurses did not take proper care during the delivery process, which led to the death of her wife and the newborn baby boy at the hospital itself on Thursday night.
    "Both my daughters were delivered through normal delivery. This time, we were blessed with a son, but due to the negligence of the doctor and the hospital staff, I lost my wife and the child. I want strict action against the doctor and the nurses," said Durga Charan Banra.
    Rajnagar CHC In-Charge, Dr Shyam Soren, told PTI that during the time of the delivery, there was a thunderstorm and rain, which led to disruption in the government power supply at the hospital.
    "Unfortunately, the solar power system developed technical snags. The inverter and the diesel generator were having defects. I joined the hospital earlier this month, and I had requested for repair of the diesel generator set and inverter. However, this unfortunate incident happened. We will try to get the power sources repaired at the earliest," said Dr Soren.
    He claimed that the doctor on duty at the CHC during the time of the delivery had, in its report, claimed that the victim was having a normal delivery, but there was excessive bleeding due to postpartum haemorrhage, which led to the death of the mother and the child.
    Meanwhile, BJP state president and Rajya Sabha MP Aditya Sahu has criticised the state government for the unfortunate incident.
    In a message shared on social media on Sunday night, Aditya Sahu has termed the death of the mother and the child during childbirth as tragic and described the state government as "insensitive".
    Expressing shock at the delivery process conducted under the light of mobile phones, the BJP leader said that the entire healthcare system in the state is in a state of total collapse.
    "Reports of such incidents within the Health Department continue to surface frequently across the state; yet, the government remains completely unconcerned," he said.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)