Odisha: Tribal woman denied entry in Koraput hospital, gives birth in near drain

Even before the Dana Majhi incident in Odisha where he walked 10 km carrying his wife's corpse faded from public memory, another disturbing incident came to light in the state's Koraput district when a 30-year-old tribal woman gave birth to a baby in a drain beside the hospital on Thursday, December 14, as she was denied treatment at the hospital.

According to a PTI report, Daina Muduli, a resident of Dasmanthpura, came to the Saheed Laxman Nayak Medical College and Hospital with her mother Gouramani Muduli to visit her husband, who was suffering from fever. Apparently, she started suffering labour pains. Her mother rushed her to the doctors but they did not admit her.

"The medical staff refused to admit my daughter as we had not brought the prescription and required documents," Gouramani lamented.

As the doctors turned her away, with little choice left, she delivered the baby in a drain just outside the hospital and lied there unattended for an hour.

The hospital authorities took cognisance of the situation after the news started spreading. They admitted the mother and the newborn. "The child was shifted to the special neonatal care unit and the mother was admitted to the general ward. Both the mother and child are stable," hospital superintendent Sitaram Mohapatra was quoted by PTI.

Also, the medical staff and chief district medical officer of Koraput Lalit Mohan Rath refuted the allegations made by Gouramani. Rath said, "The woman delivered the child while answering nature's call. She had not approached any hospital staff either for a medical check-up or for admission."