Two more women catch infection at Kota hospital; 'driven out' as condition worsened, claims family

Two more women -- Shireen 20 and Kiran 26 -- have contracted infection in the gynaecology ward of the government-run New Medical College Hospital here, with family members alleging they were forced to shift the patients to a private health facility after they developed complications.

Two more women -- Shireen (20) and Kiran (26) -- have contracted infection in the gynaecology ward of the government-run New Medical College Hospital here, with family members alleging they were forced to shift the patients to a private health facility after they developed complications. Meanwhile, three among the four women who contracted renal infection after undergoing cesarean delivery at the facility remain in critical condition while the fourth is showing signs of recovery, officials said. According to family members, Shireen -- five months pregnant -- was examined at the gynaecology ward of the hospital on May 4 by Dr Neha, who diagnosed her with open uterus on basis of an ultrasonography report and suggested stitches to close the orifice. On May 5, Shireen was admitted to the hospital and underwent the procedure -- performed by Dr Neha --the next day, Shireen's uncle Mohammed Ejaz told mediapersons outside a private hospital, where she is currently undergoing treatment, on Saturday. Initially, her condition was stable following the procedure. However,on May 7, she started bleeding and her blood pressure dipped, as her body reportedly went into shock. As her condition continued to deteriorate, she was shifted to the intensive care unit (ICU) and the family was told that she had contracted an infection. However, on Thursday morning, doctors at the New Medical College Hospital allegedly forced them to shift Shireen to a private hospital, citing that another woman had been shifted to a private facility in a similar critical condition, Ejaz said. By the time they could consult others, the hospital staff allegedly moved Shireen out of the gynaecology ward and placed her in an ambulance with a family member and sent them to a private hospital in Talwandi, he claimed. ''It came as a shock how the medical staff just withdrew from providing treatment, and literally drove our patient out of the ward,'' Ejaz said. Shireen's condition is said to be very critical. She underwent dialysis on Friday evening and put on ventilation support on Saturday morning, the family said. The other woman, Kiran (26), underwent C-section on May 6 at the New Medical College Hospital, before she developed complications and her condition deteriorated. Subsequently, she was allegedly discharged forcibly from the government hospital on Friday and was admitted to the same private facility. However, her family members could not be contacted for a comment. Meanwhile, the three women -- Dhannu, Sushila, Ragani -- who contracted infection after undergoing C-section at the hospital on May 4 remained in critical condition, while the fourth, Chandrakala, is said to be out of danger. She is showing signs of recovery with satisfactory discharge of urine, an official said. Among the three, Dhanno's condition is said to be most critical and her newborn too has been placed on oxygen support, he said. The other four newborns are in sound health and are under observation at the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of the hospital, he added. Around 12-13 women underwent cesarean delivery at New Medical College Hospital on May 4 (Monday) evening, and 8-12 hours after the surgery, the condition of six deteriorated, with dip in blood pressure and platelet count, and urinary blockage. They were shifted to the nephrology ward the same night. However, one woman, Payal (26), died during treatment on Tuesday morning, while Jyoti (19) died on Thursday.