Denied entry into Gurugram hospital over Aadhaar, woman delivers baby outside

GURUGRAM: A woman on Friday delivered her baby outside the emergency ward of a civil hospital in Gurugram after the staff allegedly denied her admission into the labour ward for not carrying her Aadhaar card, her family members said.

After the incident came to light, Gurugram Chief Medical Officer Dr BK Rajora said a doctor and a staff nurse were suspended from duty. The patient, identified as Munni Kewat (25), was taken to the hospital by her husband and others after she experienced labour pain this morning. "We reached the hospital at around 9 am and went to the casualty ward. The staff directed us to go to the labour ward. When we reached there, the staff there asked for my wife's Aadhaar card for admission," Arun Kewat, the woman's husband said.

Kewat claimed he offered to give them the Aadhaar number as he was not carrying the physical card, and said he would provide a copy of the card later. "A lady doctor and some nurses present at the labour ward demanded a hard copy of the Aadhaar card and said that she would be admitted only on presenting the card. I asked my relatives to stay with my wife and went to get a printout of the card," he said.

The family then took the woman to the casualty ward, where they were denied entry, Ram Singh, a relative of the woman said. "I went with Munni to the casualty ward but the staff did not allow her to sit there. They threw us out. Munni was already in severe labour pain and delivered the baby on the floor outside the gate of emergency ward," Singh added.

The entire episode was being filmed by other patients, but the hospital staff did not bother to come to her help, the relative said. The staff allegedly came to Munni's rescue only after she had delivered the baby and there was blood all over the floor, Singh added.

After her ordeal was over, the family members protested against the inhuman treatment meted out to the woman by the hospital staff and demanded strict action against them, following which a doctor and a nurse were suspended. "We have started an internal inquiry to find if other employees were involved," Rajora said.