Mumbai: BMC committee to probe mother-son deaths at Bhandup maternity hospital

Sushma Swaraj Maternity Hospital in Bhandup West; The deceased mother Saheedun Ansari; the deceased baby

Following the tragic demise of a 26-year-old woman, Saheedun Ansari, and her new born son due to inadequate facilities at a maternity hospital in Bhandup, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), along with health department authorities, established a committee to investigate the lapses. This decision came in response to demands for accountability and decisive action from the victim's family and a former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) corporator from Bhandup.

The family claims, investigating negligence is crucial to prevent similar incidents in the future and to uphold accountability. Any deficiencies in healthcare services must be swiftly identified and rectified to ensure better patient care.

Dr Avinash Waydande, medical officer, S ward, BMC said, "After the complaint was received, the higher officer set up a committee that will convene a meeting soon. After an inquiry, further action will be taken accordingly."

The family of the woman, along with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) member and former corporator Jagruti Patil, have raised concerns over the lack of light at the maternity hospital, alleging it led to the deaths.

The procedure was initially planned for a normal delivery. However, since the heartbeat of the baby was low they opted for a C-section. The delivery was conducted using a flashlight. In the absence of light, they could have opted for a different hospital, but the doctors proceeded with the operation using the flashlight, which was risky. The woman experienced heavy bleeding, which was a major factor in her unfortunate demise. After the baby was pronounced dead, the Dean and doctors decided to transfer her to Sion Hospital, albeit too late," said Sharukh Ansari the brother-in-law of Saheedun.

The viral video of the Sushma Swaraj maternity home of Bhandup with no lights had raised a question about the lack of facilities.

The tragic incident happened at Sushma Swaraj Maternity Hospital in Hanuman Nagar, Bhandup West division late Monday night due to negligence on the part of the doctors, resulting in the loss of a woman and her baby. I was notified of the incident around 12.30 am. The new born, weighing approximately 3.75 kg, was pronounced deceased. Upon arriving at the hospital, the woman had been transferred to Sion hospital. The family received a call at 1 am confirming her passing at Sion hospital.

The family members claim the woman was completely fine for the nine months. "She was normal for nine months with no health issues. Then how come she was reported dead on the night when we brought her to the hospital for delivery? If such are the facilities what is the use of the government hospital," said the brother of the woman.

We tried calling Dattaray Khandagale the senior police inspector of Bhandup police station but he was unavailable for comment.