Woman delivers stillborn after ward boy poses as doctor in Pune

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A ward boy of a private hospital was booked by the Chandannagar police at Vadgaonsheri for cheating after he posed as a doctor and handled the delivery procedure of a woman in advanced labour. The woman delivered a stillborn baby later on.

Although the ward boy has not been arrested yet, the police have decided to refer the case to an expert panel for fixing the responsibility of the authorities. Senior inspector Krishna Indalkar of the Chandannagar police told The Times Of India, "We will take action as per the medical board's report."

The woman had gone to the hospital on June 2 with her husband who is a delivery boy with a food service app as she was having acute labour pains.

Indalkar said, "There was no doctor during the night hours in the hospital. The couple came across the ward boy, who was wearing a doctor's apron with a stethoscope around his neck. The ward boy impressed upon the couple that he was the doctor and would perform the delivery procedure. He took the woman into the operation room and, after conducting a physical check, started the delivery procedure."

She added, "However, during the delivery process the woman started bleeding excessively. The ward boy realised that the situation was going out of hand."

Also read: Mumbai: Woman dies delivering stillborn child after 10th pregnancy

"The woman's husband, fearing for the safety of his wife and child, took her to another private hospital in the same area The medical authorities there examined the woman and recommended that she be shifted to a bigger hospital. The husband then took the woman to the Command Hospital where she is an enrolled member. Here, she delivered a stillborn baby," Indalkar said.

Indalkar also said that the Command Hospital gave a report to the woman's husband that the stillbirth was because of damage to the womb and umbilical cord which occurred during the first procedure at the private hospital.

"After that, her husband went to the private hospital and inquired about the person who had attempted to perform the delivery procedure. It was then that he learnt that the man was not a qualified doctor or gynaecologist, but merely a ward boy."

The husband then lodged a complaint with the police.

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