Woman reportedly delivered baby before reaching maternity centre
A woman reportedly gave birth outside Krishna Lab on the premises of Jalandhar Civil Hospital on Thursday morning, triggering concern among hospital staff and prompting the administration to take note of the incident.
According to hospital officials, the woman, identified as Sushila, wife of Kumar, a resident of Goraya, had been brought to the hospital by two women for delivery. She was reportedly expecting her fifth child.
Hospital officials said that around 10:15 am, doctors were on their routine round when they noticed the woman sitting in a position suggesting that she was about to deliver. A doctor immediately alerted the nursing staff and asked for a stretcher. However, before the stretcher could reach her, the woman had already delivered the baby.
Doctors were present and attended to mother and newborn
Officials said doctors were present nearby and immediately received the newborn. The mother and child were subsequently shifted to the gynaecology ward for further medical care.
As per the information available, both the woman and the newborn are stable and are being monitored by doctors.
Hospital officials also said the woman and her attendants had initially intended to reach the Mother and Child Health (MCH) Centre, but apparently reached the physiotherapy area instead. They said the patient and attendants did not immediately inform hospital staff about the urgency of the situation.
Hospital administration points to communication gap
An official said the incident could possibly have been handled earlier if the attendants had informed any hospital employee immediately after arriving. The official pointed out that the emergency ward is located near the hospital gate, where assistance could have been sought without delay.
The official described the situation as partly arising from a lack of communication from the patient's side, while also acknowledging that hospital staff need to remain more vigilant when patients arrive in an advanced stage of labour.
Questions over stretcher arrangement
The incident has also raised questions about the readiness of basic equipment during emergencies. According to the official, the stretcher that was rushed to the spot did not have a sheet at the time, while its side railing was also reportedly not properly fixed.
The administration said the incident would be taken into consideration and that staff would be instructed to exercise greater caution and ensure that necessary equipment is readily available.
Meanwhile, hospital staff largely avoided commenting on the incident to the media, while doctors were not immediately available for an independent statement.