Pregnant woman's death: Noida's ESIC hospital director shunted out

An official order on Thursday informed that Dr. Anish Singhal, Director of the ESIC Hospital in Noida that had denied admission to a pregnant woman leading to her death last week, has been shunted out.

Noida (UP): The director of a government-run hospital, one of the seven facilities that had denied admission to a pregnant woman leading to her death last week, has been shunted out, an official order said on Thursday.

Dr. Anish Singhal, Director of the ESIC Hospital in Noida, Sector 24, has been transferred with immediate effect to the ESIC's Directorate (Medical) in Delhi, the order stated.

The order was issued by Deepak Malik, Deputy Director (Medical Administration) of the Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC), under the aegis of the Union Ministry of Labour and Employment.

Dr. Balraj Bhandar has been appointed as the new director of the ESIC Hospital, Noida, and Singhal ordered to relieve the post by Thursday afternoon and assume the next responsibility by Friday afternoon, the order stated.

Accompanied by her husband Vijender, eight-month pregnant Neelam (30) had died last Friday in an ambulance in Greater Noida after a frantic 13-hour hospital hunt failed to find her a bed as over half-a-dozen facilities, including three run by government, denied her treatment.

The incident brought to the fore the issue of medical negligence and unavailability of care during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, even as politicians latched on to it to slam the BJP government in the state.

The National Human Rights Commission on Monday had issued a notice to the Uttar Pradesh government over media reports of alleged medical apathy towards the pregnant woman.

The district administration had ordered a probe into the case which found lapses on the part of two three state-run hospitals – the district hospital, ESIC in Noida and Government Institute of Medical Sciences (GIMS) in Greater Noida, besides the private hospitals -- Shivalik, Sharda, Fortis and Max (in Ghaziabad).

Action has been recommended against the erring officers and staff of the government hospitals, while an FIR is to be lodged against the private hospitals which made "excuses" of non-availability of beds to deny treatment to the woman, according to an official statement.

Two days ago, the chief medical superintendent of the district hospital was suspended and action recommended against a nurse and a ward staffer in connection with the case.