Pregnant woman’s death
SHILLONG, June 8: The family of Pynche Bareh, a pregnant woman who tragically passed away along with her unborn child at the Maternal and Child Hospital (MCH) in Jowai on June 4, has alleged serious lapses in medical care and negligence by the hospital staff.
Wenty Bareh, the cousin of the deceased, said Pynche was referred to the Jowai MCH from the Sutnga CHC on June 2.
When they arrived at the hospital on June 3, hospital staff already knew about her cousin’s case and questioned why they had not brought her in earlier.
Wenty said her cousin was initially hesitant to undergo surgery, but after the family persuaded her, she agreed to be transferred to the Jowai MCH.
The staff informed the family that surgery would be performed the next day and advised Pynche to stop eating in preparation.
Wenty alleged that no doctor had attended to Pynche till June 4 morning despite her admission the previous day. When the family inquired about the delay, a nurse responded rudely, insisting she knew her duties, Wenty claimed.
“We kept checking until 2 pm, but no doctor came to check on her. We were shocked to learn that her name had not even been registered for surgery,” Wenty alleged.
The family was then advised to give Pynche some light food as she had grown very weak from fasting. Wenty also questioned the statement by Dr. N. Kharsahnah, Director of Health Services (Maternal and Child Health), who claimed that Pynche’s condition deteriorated at 6 pm.
“She was already complaining of severe abdominal pain from 4 pm onward. We had to repeatedly call the staff to check on her,” Wenty said.
Expressing frustration, she said this tragedy has highlighted the widespread lack of professionalism and empathy among hospital staff.
“We have heard of the rude behavior of some nurses in government hospitals, and now we’ve experienced it ourselves,” Wenty said.
While not blaming any individual nurse or doctor, she emphasized that the core issue lies in the hospital’s overall mismanagement.
“We’ve filed an FIR because we want accountability. No other family should suffer like we did,” she stated.
Meanwhile, the Health and Family Welfare Department has promised action based on the findings of a four-member fact-finding committee investigating the incident. The department said it is fully cooperating with the probe and has submitted all necessary documents to the inquiry team.