NHRC notice to Jharkhand govt over pregnant woman 'not attended' for nearly 27 hrs at hospital

New Delhi: The NHRC on Tuesday said it has issued a notice to the Jharkhand government over reports that a pregnant woman in labour pain was not attended for nearly 27 hours at a hospital after she was referred by a community health centre for better medical care.

Reportedly, she had to lie on the floor as there was no bed available in the hospital. However, having received "no treatment", her baby died in the womb the next day. It was also reported that another woman, who had given birth to a child was being treated on the floor, the NHRC said in a statement.

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken "suo motu cognisance of a media report that a pregnant woman in labour pain was not attended for about 27 hours at MGM hospital, Jamshedpur, after she was referred by a community health centre for better medical care, it said.

The Commission has observed that the contents of the media report, if true, raise a serious issue of violation of human rights.

Accordingly, it has issued notice to the chief secretary of the Jharkhand government, seeking a detailed report within two weeks.

"The report is also expected to include the status of health of the victim woman and the availability of beds as well as other facilities in the government hospitals in the State. The report should also mention if any compensation has been paid to the aggrieved family by the authorities," the statement said.