Maternal death sparks unrest at private nursing home in Odisha

Chaotic scenes unfolded on Monday following a maternal death at a private nursing home near Gandhi Padia in Bhadrak district. Enraged family members of the deceased woman reportedly vandalised parts of the health facility in reaction to the tragedy.

The protests erupted after the birth of a baby girl who survived delivery, while her mother identified as Debasmita Jena did not.

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According to sources, accusations are being levelled against the doctors and staff who had been treating the young woman, with claims of negligence leading to Debasmita’s death. The woman from Asurali locality was admitted to the nursing home the previous day. Debasmita had given birth overnight, but by today afternoon, news of her untimely demise emerged leading to the unrest and subsequent vandalisation.

The unfortunate incident has sparked outrage in the patient community, underscoring the concerns about maternal healthcare standards in the district.

“Madam (a lady doctor) is now saying ‘she (Debasmita) had heart problems’. She had been undergoing treatment here since she was 7 months pregnant. If that was so; why she was not treated ahead of her operation? How did the heart problem suddenly appear?” the victim woman’s relative Seemarani Jena questioned.

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“The doctor was not attending to her and was rather talking to someone else over the phone. She (the victim woman) is survived by a four-year-old son and a two-day-old daughter. How will the two children survive?” Seemarani continued.

“An FIR was lodged with us and some relatives of the deceased simultaneously vandalised parts of the nursing home. A police force was immediately deployed to bring the law and order situation under control,” a senior cop Anup Abhisek Behera stated.