Shillong, AugUST 1 (PTI): The Meghalaya Human Rights Commission (MHRC) issued a notice to the state government after a maternity hospital here allegedly denied admission to a pregnant woman who later lost her child due to "administrative delay", officials said on Saturday.
The expecting mother, hailing from Mawlai Mawtawar in the outskirts of the city, was rushed to the Ganesh Das Hospital on July 28 but was refused admission at first as she hailed from a area declared as containment zone.
She was admitted to the hospital after a long delay due to administrative processes, officials said.
However, the newborn died shortly after delivery, they said.
We have issued notices to the state government through the chief secretary for an effective inquiry into the matter within 30 days, a senior official of the commission told PTI.
The notices were received by the state government on Friday, he said.
In the notice, the commission observed that the incident was a violation of human rights as the state authorities failed to ensure the rights to life and medical care to its citizens.
Right to life is a fundamental right and it is paramount duty of the state to protect and safeguard such rights of any individual, the commission stated.
Health Minister AL Hek said the state government has issued a show-cause notice to the hospital authorities on the matter.
He said the government is expecting to receive the reply soon, based on which further action necessary will be taken.
According to a health official, the woman could not be admitted for delivery in time as there was no vacant bed in the isolation ward of the hospital as she belonged to a containment zone.
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