A 26-year-old Bhandup resident’s delivery by C-section in a municipal maternity home in Bhandup was done under torchlight, reports stated. Doctors delivered a dead boy, and the mother was declared dead a few hours later at Sion Hospital, where she was rushed. The BMC has set up a committee, to investigate this and look for answers.

While this is shocking, it should be a watershed moment for the authorities who should now put a lens on all municipal facilities and nursing homes. There needs to be a comprehensive survey to see whether these hospitals have adequate facilities. Light is an absolute basic, so it is incomprehensible how an amenity can function without lights and an operation be conducted by torchlight.