Baby, mother death: Protest outside private medical college in Kerala's Kozhikode

Kozhikode (Kerala): The family members of a woman and her baby who died following complications during child birth at a private medical college here protested outside the institution on Saturday.

While the baby died at the private hospital on Thursday, the mother, who developed various complications, passed away at another private hospital on Friday, according to the police.

A case of unnatural death has been registered by the police in connection with both the deaths on a complaint by the woman's husband.

On Saturday, family members and local residents protested outside the private medical college, with the body of the woman in an ambulance, demanding action against the doctors concerned under stringent provisions of the law.

Following the protest, police were deployed outside the hospital to prevent any untoward incident.

Later, after a few of the protesters, including family members, spoke to the hospital administration and placed their demands before them, the protest was called off, an officer of Atholi police station said.

The woman's husband had claimed before TV channels that the hospital staff kept assuring them that the delivery would be normal even though his wife kept screaming in pain and urged that she be moved to another hospital.

"On Thursday morning, they told us that a cesarean section was required and then later informed us that the uterus collapsed and the baby had died. They sought permission to remove her uterus. We consented to that.

"But my wife's health deteriorated and she was put on a ventilator. She was then shifted to another private hospital where she died," the husband said.

The woman was admitted to the first private hospital on September 7 and the family was informed about the baby's death on September 12.

The family has alleged medical negligence and malpractice on the part of the private hospital.