Woman denied admission at maternity centre; gives birth at roadside market

A woman ended up giving birth to a baby girl at a roadside market in Gaibandha town after she was denied admission at the Gaibandha Mother and Children Welfare Centre early today.

The incident occurred on DB Road of the town around 1:00am, reports our Bogura correspondent, quoting family members and law enforcers.

The patient was Jemi Akter (25), wife of Hiru Mia of Bonarpara area under Saghata upazila in the district.

Jemi was taken to Mother and Children Welfare Centre after she had labor pains last night. However, Selina Akter, family welfare visitor of the maternity centre, refused to provide care to the patient and did not let her get admitted there. Instead, she hurled abusive words and had the patient's relatives beaten up to force them out of the maternity centre, Jemi's family alleged.  

Later, when the relatives were taking Jemi to the Gaibandha Sadar Hospital, she gave birth to a baby girl at a roadside market, her brother said.

Contacted, Md Saiful Islam, deputy director of family planning department in Gaibandha, confirmed the incident to The Daily Star.

"Patient's family members alleged that Selina Akter did not admit the pregnant woman, and she gave birth near the road," he said.

"Two separate 3-member probe bodies have been formed over this incident. In Gaibandha, I formed a probe body headed by Faruk Azam Nur, district consultant on family planning, and it will submit a report within next three days to me," Saiful Islam also said.

"From Dhaka, our Director General formed another probe body headed by Md Mahbub Alam, divisional director (Rangpur) of family planning department. The body will submit its probe report within next three days to our DG," he added.

"After 12:00am, locals informed us that the Mother and Children Welfare Centre refused to admit a pregnant women and she was at the veranda of a market on DB Road with labor pain," said Khan Mohammad Shahariar, officer-in- charge of the Gaibandha Sadar Police Station.

"I immediately sent a patrol team. When our team reached the spot, they found the woman had already started delivering the baby on the veranda," the OC said.

"Soon after the delivery, we took the baby and her mother to Gaibandha Sadar Hospital and admitted them there. The newborn and her mother are now doing well," he also said.

"We are yet to receive any complaint against the hospital authority in this connection," OC Shahariar added.

"We are giving all necessary treatment to the mother and the baby. They are now in good condition," said Aminul Islam, a doctor of Gaibandha Sadar Hospital.

"The patient came here around 11:30pm last night in a critical condition with severe bleeding from her ovary. When I saw the patient, I became very frightened seeing her condition and hence told the patient's brother to take her to another hospital. I could not handle the patient in this serious condition," Selina Akter, family welfare visitor of the maternity centre, told The Daily Star when contacted.

She, however, denied beating up the patient's relatives.