Mumbai: Taking serious note of repeated maternal and child deaths in the tribal region of Melghat, the Bombay High Court on Thursday directed the state public health department to appoint a gynaecologist and a paediatrician in every public health centre (PHC) in the area within one week, either on contract or deputation.
Six Deaths Reported Since Last Hearing, Court Told
The court was informed that since the last hearing on November 25, four children and two mothers have died, allegedly due to the absence of specialist doctors. One of the mothers, the court was told, died while being referred to another hospital as there was no gynaecologist available locally.
A bench of Justices Revati Mohite-Dere and Sandesh Patil observed, “It is the duty of the government to ensure that doctors are present and no child or mother dies due to want of medical care.” The judges said it was “not nice to be told every time that so many deaths have taken place since the last hearing”.
The court was hearing a batch of public interest litigations filed by activists Dr Rajendra Burma and Bandu Sampatrao Sane highlighting chronic malnutrition, staff shortages, poor infrastructure and rising child deaths in Melghat.
Poor Roads, No Specialists, Pregnant Women at Risk: Petitioners
Advocate Jugal Gilda, appearing for Burma, submitted that conditions in the tribal belt remain “pitiable”, with poor roads making travel extremely difficult for pregnant women. He said that there are no gynaecologists in the PHCs. One pregnant woman died because she was referred from a PHC in Melghat to a hospital in Amravati. “She died while being taken to Amravati,” Gilda said.
She also pointed out that although an audit was ordered in 2018, the situation has worsened. “The court had expected that within five years of its order in 2005, deaths would reduce. Now we are back to square one,” Gilda argued.
State Cites Committee Visit, Deputation of Specialists
Government pleader Bhupesh Samant told the court that a committee of senior officers had visited Melghat earlier this month and submitted a detailed report. Public Health Secretary Dr Nipun Vinayak, who appeared virtually, said specialists were being sent on deputation and that revised salaries and incentives were being considered to attract doctors to tribal areas. “These are all sad facts. We have made recommendations, including relaxing norms for tribal regions,” he said.
However, the bench was unconvinced. “Somebody has to go and see why there are no gynaecologists in the area,” the court said, noting that Melghat to Amravati is a long and difficult journey with no facilities en route.
One-Week Deadline Set for Specialist Appointments
Directing immediate action, the bench ordered, “Wherever there are no gynaecologists, you (state) will ensure they are appointed within one week. Either on contract or deputation.”
Following earlier directions, three state secretaries had personally visited Melghat on December 5 to assess the ground situation. A report of those visits was submitted to the court on Thursday.
The court granted time to all parties to study the report and asked the principal secretary or joint secretary of the Union public health or women and child development department to remain present via video conference at the next hearing on January 19.
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