The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Monday issued a notice to the Uttar Pradesh government over two reported cases of pregnant women being denied treatment in Noida and Greater Noida.
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Taking suo motu cognisance of media reports, the NHRC issued the notice to the Chief Secretary asking for a detailed report within four weeks.
The first incident occurred on June 5 when an eight-month pregnant died in an ambulance just outside a hospital in Greater Noida after being denied treatment at several government and private hospitals for 13 hours, the NHRC noted.
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In the second case, reported on Monday, a 26-year-old woman was allegedly refused admission by the District Hospital in Noida, Sector 30, after which she delivered a stillborn baby on the pavement outside the hospital.
“The Commission has observed that contents of the news reports, if true, raise serious issues of violation of human rights as the State authorities have failed to ensure right to life and medical care to its citizens. It is understood that amid spread of COVID-19 virus, the hospitals are receiving a very large number of patients and there is shortage of infrastructure but denial to attend to the patients by the hospitals is a matter of concern,” it said.
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The NHRC also sent the Secretary of the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry clippings of the news reports “to look into the matter and issue specific instructions to all the States and the UTs that people coming to the hospitals in emergency for treatment of illness other than COVID-19 are not denied medical treatment and critical support by them,” the statement said.
