Shatabdi Ghosh at NRS. Picture by Bishwarup Dutta

Calcutta, Nov. 9: A woman writhing in pain delivered a baby in the corridor of NRS Medical College Hospital early today after she was forced to walk 50 metres to the labour room as there was no one to wheel her in. The baby did not survive.

A lone elderly ayaah walked the woman from the maternity ward before she delivered the baby girl at the doorstep of the labour room.

Health department officials said the baby’s death might not be linked directly to the walk but added it was necessary to ensure that the head of a newborn did not hit a hard object during delivery because their skull is not fully formed.

The family of Shatabdi Ghosh, 29, alleged the baby had died after its head hit the floor.

Chief minister Mamata Banerjee has instructed senior government officials to probe the allegations and submit a report on Monday.

Shatabdi, a resident of Tangra, had been admitted to the hospital at 10am yesterday. “She was taken to the labour room four times, but each time it was found that she was not ready for delivery. The doctors applied a gel to facilitate the delivery,” Shatabdi’s sister-in-law Maya Basu Thakur said.

Around 3.50am today, Shatabdi felt excruciating pain. All her family members had left the ward by then and were waiting downstairs.

“There was no Group D employee, nurse or doctor in the maternity ward. Shatbadi told us she requested the lone ayaah in the department to get the trolley kept outside the ward, but the ayaah refused,” Maya said.

Left with no choice, Shatabdi walked towards the labour room.

Shatabdi’s husband Bimal, who works for a private company, said the hospital authorities informed the family only after the death of the baby.

Till this evening, the cause of the baby’s death could not be ascertained. A committee has been formed to probe the cause of death. Shatabdi is still admitted to the maternity ward.

The death has shown yet again how unresponsive the state’s health system is to emergencies. It also highlights the chronic absence of Group D staff from their posts, and the lack of accountability that is necessary to ensure patients are served properly.

A health department official said the gynaecology and obstetrics ward of a medical college should have at least three junior doctors every night.

“A senior doctor must be available on call. Three or four nurses and a Group D employee must be present too,” the official said.

Some doctors said at least a trained midwife should have been present in the ward.

The official said senior hospital officials were expected to visit all the departments at night but admitted that the norm was rarely followed.

“Ideally, there should be one Group D employee for five patients, but there is a staff crunch in government hospitals. Recruitment of Group D employees has not taken place for many years,” he said.

Even when Group D staff are on duty, frequent allegations have been made that they do not do their job properly. Group D employees are rarely punished in government hospitals and this has, over the years, given them a sense of immunity.

Health department sources said around 80 per cent of Group D employees in government hospitals in Calcutta did not report for work last night because of Chhath.

Tridib Banerjee, the chairman of a task force formed to reduce infant and maternal mortality, said during a visit to NRS today: “If anyone is found guilty, exemplary punishment will be handed out.”