The Chhattisgarh High Court has taken proactive measures following a distressing incident where a 25-year-old woman gave birth on the floor of a health center in Surguja district due to the absence of medical staff. Expressing concern over this situation, the High Court initiated suo moto proceedings.
Chief Justice Ramesh Sinha and Justice Sachin Singh Rajput, after taking note of a newspaper report detailing the incident at Navanagar SHC (Sub-Health Centre) on June 8, instructed the Health Department secretary to provide a personal affidavit. According to the report, the woman, accompanied by a Community Health Worker, was left unattended as there were no doctors or nurses available. Consequently, she had to deliver the baby on the floor of the health center with assistance from her family and the community health worker.
Furthermore, it was revealed that postnatal care was administered by a traditional midwife from the village due to the absence of adequate medical staff at the health center. The bench expressed dismay over the recurrence of such incidents and emphasized the need for stringent measures to address the situation.
In response, Additional Advocate General Yashwant Singh Thakur informed the court that the medical officer responsible has been suspended pending an inquiry, while the status of the nurse reportedly involved in an accident remains unverified.
The High Court directed the Health and Social Welfare Department secretary to submit a personal affidavit outlining the actions taken in response to the incident. Additionally, they instructed measures to halt the circulation of a viral video depicting the incident and requested information on the deployment of another Medical Officer at the SHC.
Subsequently, on June 8, the Block Medical Officer, Dr. PN Rajwade, was suspended for apparent negligence in connection to the incident at the primary health center in Navanagar.