Itanagar: The Gauhati High Court has held the Arunachal Pradesh government responsible for the death of woman, who died due to medical negligence and the absence of a blood bank at the district hospital at Roing in Arunachal Pradesh’s Lower Dibang Valley district.
Justice Manash Ranjan Pathak’s court directed the state’s health department to pay Rs 2.5 lakh in compensation to woman’s family.
Ready for a challenge? Click here to take our quiz and show off your knowledge!
Miti Mega passed away in 2015 due to severe bleeding and the unavailability of blood after giving birth to a baby boy at the Roing hospital. Her mother-in-law, Junaki Mega, filed a petition in the Gauhati High Court seeking justice.
The court order read, “The petitioner submitted that, had there been a blood bank in the district hospital at Roing and a proper and trained emergency medical unit/staff in the said hospital, the life of her daughter-in-law could have been saved by transfusing blood to her.”
The court noted that Miti Mega had been suffering from severe anaemia and had undergone antenatal check-ups in Khonsa in Tirap district, and later at the Roing district hospital.
Ready for a challenge? Click here to take our quiz and show off your knowledge!
The court concluded that the hospital’s failure to provide timely medical facilities, including a blood transfusion, directly led to her death.
Emphasizing the state authorities’ duty to provide necessary medical facilities, the court observed, “Had there been a blood bank in the district hospital at Roing, blood could have been transfused to the daughter-in-law of the petitioner at the time of her dire requirement, but due to non-availability of a blood bank in the said government hospital, she could not be provided with blood that was required for sustaining her life.”
The court ruled, “On hearing the parties, on perusal of the affidavits of the respondents, considering the entire aspects of the matter and for the reasons above, this court is of the opinion that the respondents in the Health and Family Welfare Department, Government of Arunachal Pradesh are responsible for the death of the daughter-in-law of the petitioner.”
The court directed the Commissioner and Secretary of the Arunachal Pradesh Health and Family Welfare Department to deposit the compensation amount in a nationalized bank in the name of the deceased’s minor son. The funds are to be held in a fixed deposit until he reaches the age of majority.
According to the case details, Miti Mega gave birth on July 10, 2015. Following the delivery, she experienced profuse bleeding and died due to severe anaemia and postpartum haemorrhage.
Her family alleged that the hospital’s negligence and lack of essential facilities, specifically the absence of a blood bank and inadequate care, were contributing factors in her death.
The petitioner sought compensation and urged the hospital to implement improvements to its infrastructure to prevent similar tragedies in the future.