A citizen journalist video clip from a concerned citizen about a pregnant woman giving birth on a pavement after being denied admission in a government hospital has created a stir in the Andhra Pradesh capital of Hyderabad.
The shocking video clip was sent by one S Sridhar of Hyderabad in response to the newly-launched news channel CNN-IBN's Citizen Journalism Initiative, according to the channel's website, IBNLive.com.
Sridhar, while looking through his lens captured a horrifying incident as a woman � refused treatment by Hyderabad's Gandhi Government Hospital because of want of money � delivered on the roadside.
When the mother Durga, from Dharmavaram village of Rangareddy district could not shell out Rs 500 to get herself admitted to the hospital, the nurses pushed her out of the ward. Durga tried to convince them but in vain, the IBNLive.com report said.
"I showed them the slip given by the doctor in our village. But the nurses their said they will give admission only if we pay Rs 500. When I said that we are not carrying any money they pushed us out. I begged them. I even touched her feet and she pushed me aside. And on of the nurse asked me to give my blood if not money. My grandson was hurt," Bitchamma, Durga's mother-in-law, said.
Fiftteen months ago, the Andhra Pradesh government had spent more than Rs 100 cr on the construction of the hospital which has state-of-the-art medical facilities. Though it is a government hospital, medical facilities don't come for free even for the needy like Durga, the IBNLive.com report regretted. Durga and her baby finally found a bed in the hospital after much deliberations.
Hospital authorities callously shrugged off the responsibility arguing that treatment was delayed by only half-an-hour and even if the baby was delivered on the roadside, it was fine now. "It all went on fine; only thing is that the treatment got delayed by half-an-hour. The baby is healthy," Dr N Madhava Rao, the resident medical officer (RMO) at the hospital claimed.
Meanwhile, a women's group affiliated to the Congress and the Telugu Desam Party's youth group have demanded the suspension of the RMO and mass transfer of fourth class employees who pushed the woman out of the hospital.
CNN-IBN is a partnership between Global Broadcast News (GBN), a TV18 Group Company, and Turner International (Turner) in India. IBNVlive.com, the online version of CNN-IBN, has been encouraging viewers and visitors to be part of its news gathering exercise throught its Citizen Journalist Initiative.
