New Delhi: Delhi High Court has asked the Centre and the city government whether various maternal health and child development schemes are being properly implemented, in the wake of death of a woman and her new-born baby allegedly after not being given necessary medical care.
Justice Rajiv Shakdher issued notice to the central and Delhi governments, directing them to indicate on affidavit how the schemes are being implemented in the hospitals under their jurisdiction.
It also directed them to "highlight" the "gaps" in the working of the various schemes -- Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY), Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS), National Maternity Benefit Scheme (NMBS), Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY), National Family Benefit Scheme (NFBS) -- and reasons for it.
The court also issued notice to Deen Dayal Upadhyay (DDU) Hospital and Guru Gobind Singh Hospital (GGSH) and sought their responses on whether these schemes are being fully complied with.
The court passed the order on a plea filed by the mother-in-law of the deceased woman, Tabassum, who allegedly died on account of not being given necessary health care by the concerned authorities.
"As a matter of fact, the baby delivered by late Tabassum also died because of lack of necessary medical care," the court noted in its order.
Tabassum has left behind a five-year-old son and her new-born baby had died in DDU hospital in February.
The petition has sought that Rs 12 lakh compensation be deposited in the name of Tabassum's son for violations of his mother's fundamental rights and to ensure his education and health.
In its order, the court has also directed the authorities to "deal with the system of referral obtaining in government hospitals whereby patients, it appears (as in this case), are made to travel from one hospital to another to get requisite medical care."
It also directed DDU hospital to bring Tabassum's medical papers as they "dilate upon the cause of her demise" and listed the matter for hearing on August 31.
The court in its order also noted that the mother-in-law
has sought reimbursement of Rs 10,000 towards expenditure incurred under JSY scheme and directed the city government to examine whether she was entitled to reimbursement and if yes, the said amount be remitted to her forthwith.
"This direction is being issued, as late Tabassum has left behind a five-year-old child who, I am told, is being looked after by the petitioner 1 (Bilkis)," the judge said.
According to the plea, filed by her mother-in-law, Bilkis, Tabassum had registered her second pregnancy at the MCD dispensary in Jwala Puri, Delhi.
Her labour pains had began on February 6, in early morning, after which she was taken to the dispensary but there was no doctor on duty to attend her and her condition started worsening, the petition has alleged.
It also alleged that from the dispensary she was taken to GGSH and the ambulance took one hour to reach the hospital from where the staff referred Tabassum to DDU saying they did not have adequate equipment required for the surgery.
It took another 30 minutes for her to reach DDU, the plea claimed and added that Bilkis and her son had to pay for the medicines "in violation of Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakaram (JSSK) which guarantees totally free delivery services for all women at all government facilities".
Tabassum's mother-in-law alleged that after the baby was delivered, the hospital provided no information to them about the infant's or the mother's health.
The hospital also did not inform them about cause of death of the baby and after the infant's death, Tabassum's health deteriorated which too was not conveyed to her family, her petition alleged.
"Delay in seeking delivery care, a delay in reaching facilities, and a delay in receiving adequate care at facilities led to the death of Tabassum," it alleged.
According to the petition, latest data shows that 50,000 women in India died from pregnancy-related causes in 2013, or 137 women every day and six women every hour.
It has sought a direction to the central and city governments to ensure no woman succumbs to a "preventable maternal death" in Delhi and the entitlements under the JSY be provided to women post-delivery.
