The BMC's public health department has warned all the doctors and staff working at the civic hospitals that they will have to face strict action if they turn away pregnant women without examination or medical treatment due to lack of documents, especially husband’s Aadhaar card. The move comes after a pregnant woman was denied treatment and check-up at the tertiary care facilities – Rajawadi and Shatabdi hospitals – as she did not have her husband’s Aadhaar card. She was finally given medical attention following the intervention of an activist.
Last month, Sunita Gangole, a resident of Gujarat’s Umbergaon, who visits Mumbai for four months a year to work on pre-monsoon projects, was denied treatment at the Rajawadi Hospital in Ghatkopar. “I visited the hospital for my pregnancy-related treatment. They asked for my husband’s Aadhaar. When I told them I did not have it, they made me sit from morning to evening and did not give me the case paper. They even asked me to go back to my village,” she claimed.
Pregnant women should not be denied treatment
BMC Executive Health Officer Dr Mangala Gomare said they have instructed all the peripheral hospitals, medical colleges, maternity homes and health officials to not deny treatment to pregnant women even if they lack documents. “We had received several complaints of pregnant women being denied admission due to absence of Aadhaar. Now, I have strictly ensured that no hospital denies treatment to pregnant women due to non-availability of Aadhaar,” she said.
Health activists condemn such unruly behaviour
However, Gomare cited the Centre's guidelines and said that Aadhaar cards help in recording details of patients for extending the benefits of government schemes. Hinting that what happened with Gangole isn't an isolated incident, health activists said that patients coming to these hospitals face many problems as the staff is “rude, behave as if they own the hospital and have all rights to turn away patients for trivial things.” There are many complaints against the unruly behaviour of doctors and staff. It was shocking to know that pregnant women were denied treatment for lack of documents, which could have been submitted later, they added.
