Maharashtra State Human Rights Commission awards Rs 16 lakh compensation for maternal death that occurred due to ‘negligence, absence of medical staff and poor infrastructure at govt hospitals’

Mumbai: The Maharashtra State Human Rights Commission (MSHRC) has awarded Rs 16 lakh as compensation to the family of a 23-year-old woman from Nandurbar who died soon after childbirth due to “negligence, absence of medical staff and poor infrastructure at govt hospitals”.

Half of the compensation will be kept in a fixed deposit for the child of the deceased.

Kavita Raut developed labour pains in Nandurbar in 2024, but as no ambulance was available, her family took her to a nearby primary health centre (PHC) in a private vehicle. No doctor was available at the centre and, as her condition was critical, the staff referred her to a higher facility in an ambulance. However, the ambulance broke down en route.

A second ambulance was arranged, but she delivered the baby and suffered severe bleeding before reaching the hospital. The second hospital, too, referred her to another centre without even providing staff to accompany her. She died in the ambulance before reaching the third hospital.

MSHRC member Sanjay Kumar, a retired IPS officer, concluded in his order that “death of Kavita Raut occurred due to negligence, apathy, poor training, lack of proper infrastructure and absence of medical officers and staff”.

The MSHRC judgment observed that the state report submitted to the commission was silent about the presence of doctors at RH Molgi. “It is not clear who exactly extended the treatment,” said the MSHRC judgment.

It noted that the district health officer, Nandurbar, and civil surgeon, Nandurbar, seemed more keen to save the “delinquent medical officers and staff rather than to give a clear picture of the situation”.

The CEO of Nandurbar Zilla Parishad submitted before the MSHRC that posts of two medical officers were vacant at PHC Pimplakhuta as the ad hoc recruitment procedure takes time. The CEO said the community health officer (doctor) working at the PHC had left early on the day of the incident and would face disciplinary action.

The district health officer explained problems in providing health services in the district due to inaccessible terrain and the unwillingness of medical staff to serve in the area. He submitted that approximately 65% of the health workers' (ANM) posts were vacant in the district.

The MSHRC concluded that while Raut’s death occurred due to the negligence, apathy and dereliction of the duty of medical staff of PHC Pimpalkhuta and RH Molgi, the “poor medical infrastructure and poorly maintained ambulance played a contributory role in the incident”.

“The medical staff both at PHC and rural hospital, in order to shirk their responsibilities, used the referral excuse,” the MSHRC said.