Biratnagar, September 11
A woman in her labour pains has died in Biratnagar of Morang, the capital of Province 1, on Wednesday night, reportedly after the biggest government hospital in the district denied her admission.
The family of Bimala Rishived, 30, from Biratnagar-6, did not have sufficient money to admit her at a private health facility which could treat her effectively, according to neighbours.
The family residing at a landless squatters’ camp could not even manage costs for her funeral. Later, Nepali Congress provincial lawmaker Kedar Karki funded the last rites.
The deceased’s neighbour Akshaya Sahani says the Koshi Hospital in the city refused to admit her citing it could not perform a C-section on her as she already had undergone the process while giving births to her two children in the past decade. “Their family’s (economic) status was poor, so they did not have any place to go after the government hospital refused,” he informs.
Meanwhile, the hospital’s medical superintendent Dr Chuman Lal Das says no one at his facility is allowed to deny admission to a woman coming for delivery. He assures the case will be investigation and action will be taken against those involved in the incident.
