Chandigarh, May 18 (PTI) Days after an incident in which a woman reportedly delivered her baby near the entry gate of a health centre in Faridabad, Haryana Health Department on Monday issued comprehensive
directives to all civil surgeons.
Additional Chief Secretary for Health and Family Welfare, Sumita Misra, has initiated immediate corrective measures to reinforce emergency response systems, staff availability and delivery care services at government health institutions across the state, officials said.
Taking prompt cognisance of the Faridabad incident, Misra directed health authorities to ensure that every pregnant woman visiting a government health facility receives timely care, dignified treatment and uninterrupted medical support.
Misra has directed all First Referral Units across the state to maintain at least one fully equipped ambulance at the facility round-the-clock.
Health institutions with high delivery loads were asked to ensure the availability of dedicated emergency ambulances equipped with essential medicines and medical equipment to support maternal care services.
In another decision, all public health facilities were directed to keep their main entry gates open 24x7 to facilitate uninterrupted patient access during emergencies.
The health department also emphasised the safety and security of night-duty healthcare staff posted at Primary Health Centres and Community Health Centres, ensuring a safer and more efficient working environment.
To further improve institutional delivery services, all 24x7 health facilities were instructed to ensure continuous physical presence of staff nurses for delivery care services.
Facility in-charges and district-level NHM teams were directed to conduct random night inspections to strengthen monitoring and ensure smooth functioning of services.
To address manpower requirements, the health department asked district authorities to immediately deploy additional nursing staff from other facilities wherever shortages are identified.
Civil Surgeons were given a three-day timeline to ensure that no delivery point remains understaffed.
Misra underlined that these directions were aimed at improving service delivery standards and strengthening maternal healthcare infrastructure at the grassroots level.
On Friday's incident, the woman's family claimed that when they reached the health centre in Faridabad at night, they found the front gate to the OPD shut. They then tried the gate leading to the Emergency section on the rear side, but found the ground floor gate there locked too. By the time a nurse and a doctor reached the spot, the woman had delivered the baby outside the locked gate in the presence of her relatives.
The family claimed that the delivery happened in the flashlight from their mobile phones.
Chaman, a relative of the woman, told reporters in Faridabad that they reached the health centre in Faridabad at around 1.30 am.
"I came to the hospital with my sister-in-law. She was unable to walk due to labour pain, so she sat on the floor. I knocked at the gates (of the OPD), but no one came. When I reached the gate to the Emergency, I found a wheelchair, but she couldn't sit on it due to pain. There was no staff on the ground floor. Fifteen minutes were lost in this process," he said.
The delivery took place on the road before the doctor and the nurse reached there, he said.
The woman and her baby were later taken inside the health centre and admitted there.
The health department has formed a committee following the incident, as the woman's family has accused negligent behaviour from some staff of the health centre. PTI SUN RUK
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