Family & relatives protest for 9 hours, demand action against erring staff Principal GMC forms
5-member inquiry committee to Investigate the incident
Shyam Sood
Rajouri, February 20: A pregnant woman died at GMC Rajouri around 3 AM on Thursday, allegedly due to the negligence of the night duty staff in the Gynecological ward of the Associated Hospital, Government Medical College (AH GMC) Rajouri.
Alleging medical negligence, family members, relatives, and their supporters held a protest for approximately 9 hours, demanding justice, an impartial inquiry, and action against the responsible staff.
According to reports, the woman passed away at GMC Rajouri on Thursday morning, and her family accused the hospital staff of negligence.
The deceased, identified as Kirna Devi, wife of Yashpal Singh from Mandargala Swadi, had been admitted to the hospital on February 18.
The grieving family members stated that they had brought her to AH GMC Rajouri three days earlier due to labor pain and was admitted in the Gynaecological ward.
They alleged that the baby had already died in the womb, but the doctors failed to inform them.
Instead, after performing an ultrasound, they assured the family that the baby was still breathing. The doctors administered injections and some medication, assuring them that a normal delivery would take place.
“Later, the doctors informed them that a cesarean delivery was necessary, but the surgeon responsible for the operation was in Jammu,” said the husband of the deceased. The family accused the doctors of keeping them in the dark and misleading them with false assurances.
“Kirna Devi died after receiving an injection from one of the doctors, but the truth was not disclosed to us.
“Instead, the doctors allegedly conducted an operation posthumously to remove the stillborn baby.”
The woman’s family staged a protest from 3 AM to 1 PM, demanding an investigation and strict action against the responsible doctors.
Meanwhile, DDC member Budhal, Shazia Kousar, also reached GMC Rajouri and called for a fair investigation into the matter.
As seen in similar past incidents, to defuse the situation temporarily, GMC Principal A.S. Bhatia announced an inquiry into the incident and formed a committee led by AH GMC Medical Superintendent Dr. Shameem Ahmed.
The committee includes the HODs of Gynecology, Surgery, Anesthesia, and Forensic Medicine at GMC Rajouri.
The committee has been instructed to submit its findings within a week, and strict legal action will be taken if any staff members are found guilty.
Following this assurance, the family members ended their protest and took the woman’s body home.
It is noteworthy that in the month of December last year Principal GMC Rajouri had suspended five doctors and sought explanation from two consultants & 8 pharmacists/nurses over the death of a pregnant woman Razeem due to their negligence as was alleged by her husband.
Before Razeem, wife of Mohd Rafiq, passed away, she had suffered the tragic loss of three of her children to a mysterious illness just days earlier in Badhal village of Rajouri district where the unidentified illness had claimed 17 lives between December 7 and 19 January 2025.
