Tension runs high following childbirth death

DADELDHURA; Team Hospital in Dadeldhura remained tense today after relatives of a patient who died in the course of delivering a baby there protested seeking compensation.

Relatives said that Bhuwaneshwori Bhat, 20, a resident at Gurina of Manilek-3, who was admitted in the hospital 10 days ago, died this morning. The newborn, however, is alive.

The kin of the deceased shut the district headquarters and halted traffic there. Their demands include providing Rs 1 million to the victim’s family and a hospital provision for bringing up the infant.

Locals clashed with the police in their bid to padlock the hospital.

The agitators placed vehicles randomly on the road, obstructing traffic flow to the rural areas. The demonstrators also gheraoed the District Administration Office for some hours.

Bhat was operated to deliver the infant. The mother, who had high blood pressure, had died due to excessive bleeding, the hospital source said.

“After the operation, my wife was kept in the gynecology ward. We called the doctor when she complained of extreme pain at 9 pm yesterday but none cared to attend to her. When the doctors arrived at 4 this morning, she had already breathed her last,” said Lokraj Bhatt.

“The hospital is not responsible for her death since the doctors have made no mistake,” Dr Bhabia said. “We tried our best to save her but failed.”