Outrage over Tumakuru tragedy

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: The inhuman incident in which a 30-year-old pregnant woman was denied treatment at a government hospital in Tumakuru resulting in her death and also the death of her newborn twins, has snowballed into a raging controversy in the state with the Opposition Congress and JD(S) upping the ante for the resignation of Karnataka health minister, Dr K. Sudhakar.

Dr K Sudhakar in a facesaving gesture, said he had ordered for a probe and the suspension of the three nurses in-charge of the maternity ward and an onduty doctor, for negligence but that hardly served to stop the controversy from tainting the BJP government's image further.

Questions are being raised on how the poor and deprived can be treated so cold-heartedly while the rich and powerful are always provided the best facilities available at government hospitals.  It is alleged that the doctor and hospital staff allegedly refused to admit Kasturi, who was pregnant with twins as she did not have an Aadhaar card or a 'Taayi' (maternity) card, and suggested that she go to Victoria Hospital in Bengaluru!

As the woman, a labourer from Tamil Nadu, could not arrange money for an ambulance to travel to Bengaluru, she returned home from the hospital on Wednesday night. She is said to have gone into labour on Thursday morning and developed excessive bleeding after giving birth to a male baby, and died before delivering the second baby.

The new-born also died subsequently.  Kasturi is survived by her husband and a six-yearold daughter. Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Siddaramaiah and former CM HD Kumaraswamy demanded Dr Sudhakar's resignation.“Sudhakar is responsible for the negligence of doctors, which resulted in the death of a pregnant woman and two babies. He must resign right away.

The accused doctors should be dismissed and the entire incident should be brought under a judicial probe,” Siddaramiah tweeted. Kumaraswamy also demanded Dr Sudhakar’s resignation . “If not , Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai must sack him from the Cabinet,” he said.