Mumbai: The Bombay High Court has asked the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to file an affidavit spelling out the number of nursing homes, which are attending to the pregnant women. The HC has also asked the civic body to specify the number of deliveries that have been conducted in various nursing homes, since the lockdown was announced.
The direction was issued by a bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Amjad Sayed while hearing a petition filed by an activist, who claimed that hospitals were refusing to treat or admit pregnant women, without a report, certifying them negative of COVID-19.
The petition referred to a particular incident, based on a newspaper report, that an expecting lady was denied admission for delivery in city's J. J. Hospital on the ground that she did not carry with her a COVID-19 negative report.
The activist, accordingly, urged the bench to issue directions to the concerned authorities so that appropriate measures are put in place for expecting ladies to be attended to.
The plea was vehemently opposed by the Maharashtra government, stating that no such incident was reported at J. J. Hospital. As far as the BMC is concerned, its senior counsel Anil Sakhare informed the bench that there are a number of maternity homes and clinics which are catering to the needs of expecting women. He even sought an adjournment so that the same could be placed on record.
"By the next date, the BMC shall file an affidavit and indicate therein the names and particulars of maternity homes and clinics which are attending to expecting ladies and the number of deliveries that have been conducted in such maternity homes and clinics over the past couple of weeks," CJ Datta said, while adjourning the case till next Thursday.
