Newskarnataka – Bantwal
Bantwal: The alleged negligence of the doctor and staff of a private hospital that claimed the life of a pregnant woman on Thursday February 6, flared-up the situation at the Somayaji Hospital as the angry locals agitated with a flash protest on Friday February 7.
A large number of locals gathered in front of the hospital and tried to enter the hospital premises to protest against the alleged careless attitude of the Bantwal town police for not taking prompt action.
Simultaneously a protest was also organized at the national highway and on the over bridge, thus obstructing traffic. The police who rushed to the spot tried to pacify the crowd.
Town council member Sadashiva Bangera, Laxman Agrabail, Anand Kulal, Prabhakar Daivagudde, Kishore Kulal, Ganesh Punjarakodi, Rajesh, Bharati, Yashoda and others were also present to calm the situation.
However, the protestors were not convinced. They sat on dharna and threatened that the protest would continue until the doctors responsible for the pregnant woman’s death were arrested. Finally, the circle inspector spoke to Dr Rameshanand Somayaji and took him into custody amid tight security. Only then did the protestors disperse from the hospital premises.
The protestors demanded that the Heath minister UT Khader, must take action in this case. The minister was then contacted over the phone, but he told the inspector that he was unable to come to the spot and directed the authorities to take necessary action as per law. Though a few such incidents had taken place in the same hospital as well as in others places in Bantwal, no doctor had been arrested, nor did the minister take any action despite appeals, said the locals.
Chanchalakshi, wife of Naveen Kumar M, a resident of government employees’ colony at BC Road, was admitted at Somayaji hospital to deliver her second child. However, after the doctors reportedly administered an injection to induce labour, she developed complications and died, and the baby too died in the womb on February 6, Thursday.
