Shillong, May 4: Health Minister, Ampareen Lyngdoh on Thursday informed that an inquiry has already been initiated at the level of Director of Health Services (Medical Institutions) into the incident of a pregnant woman who had to be shifted to NEIGRIHMS to remove a portion of a needle that was stuck inside her body during labour at Ganesh Das Hospital here on May 1.
Speaking to reporters, Lyngdoh said that she had insisted on an inquiry at the level of DHS (MI) to know if there was any gross lapse on part of the medical team who attended the young pregnant woman, Fatima Rani from Mawlyndep village in Ri Bhoi district.
“We are taking this incident seriously and also wanted to ensure that the patients and the people at large feel reassured. We will ensure that henceforth these kinds of situations do not occur again,’ Health Minister said.
When asked about the demand for compensation over the death of the newborn by the family of the young pregnant woman, she said that she not in a position to talk about the compensation since the inquiry has already been initiated.
“As per the briefing and my understanding of this, the loss of this little baby was a natural procedure of loss and there was no malpractice or errors involved in the strict sense by a doctor or a medical practitioner could be a nurse or somebody,” Health Minister said.
Stating that whatever help that could have been given to the mother and the child, she said that it is really unfortunate that the newborn infant was lost but at least the mother is in good hands.
She further stated that she regrets the loss of the child but the child was already distressed and the child had to be resuscitated since it did not cry adding that there were inherently some problems, which do not appear as malpractice.
“So we go by that, at this point of time,” Health Minister said.
Meanwhile, she informed that she will personally be going tomorrow morning to NEIGRIHMS to visit the mother to ensure that everything is in order adding that she will be better briefed by the NEIGRIHMS team of doctors as to whether or not the mother is also now out of danger.
“I cannot promise anything beyond that. I am not an expert and I will go by what my officers have said of what had happened and occurred,” Health Minister said.
According to her, if there is no satisfaction to this then they will study at a later part.
“But at this point of time, this is what I need to say. To clarify that compensation will only be followed if there has been a gross lapse of responsibility by the medical team,” Lyngdoh stated.
Replying to a query, she observed that unfortunately Ganesh Das hospital does not have to higher facility where in the event of any mistakes or any unforeseen occurrence occurs,
According to her, it was just correct for the doctors to refer the case to a higher facility where this requirement is available.
She further stated that Ganesh Das Hospital would perform better if they had additional medical infrastructure facilities but NEIGRIHMS is not far away.
Stating that it is difficult to understand why a needle had broken, Health Minister said that this is a procedure which may well likely happen even in other circumstances.
Lyngdoh also assured that they will be improving the facilities to ensure that these errors do not occur if there was an error.