New Delhi, April 12th, 2012

The National Human Rights Commission has issued notice to the Chief Secretary, Govt. of Odisha taking suo motu cognizance of a media report alleging that a woman delivered baby on the road after forcibly driven away from maternity ward by the hospital authorities in Odisha. The media carried report on the 6th April, 2012.

Reportedly, a woman, Rosi Jena was admitted in the Puri District Headquarter Hospital at 0900 Hrs. on the 5th April, 2012 and struggled with labour pain till 1900 Hrs. in the evening. The attending doctor at the hospital advised surgical operation and asked her parents to arrange money for the same. As her parents were not able to arrange the money for operation, the attending doctor advised them to shift Rosi to some other hospital or nursing home.

Subsequently, the hospital authority forcibly discharged Rosi from the maternity ward. Before she could be shifted to another hospital, she delivered a girl child in front of the hospital in an auto rickshaw. Rosi and her child were readmitted for further treatment in the hospital only after a mob assembled in front of the hospital protested against inhuman conduct of the doctor.

The Commission while issuing notice has observed that the allegations of the press report, if true, raise a serious issue of violation of right to health of the woman.

The Commission asked the Chief Secretary, Government of Odisha to submit report in the matter within four weeks and also directed him to inform the Commission about the state of health of Rosi and the newly born child along with the disciplinary action, if any, initiated against the delinquent doctor.

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