Pregnant woman dies while being shifted to Bandipora hospital from Gurez; family alleges negligence

Bandipora: A 30-year-old pregnant woman from Tulail in north Kashmir’s Gurez Valley died while being shifted to District Hospital Bandipora from Sub-District Hospital Dawar, triggering protests by her family members and raising questions over emergency obstetric care and access to specialised treatment in the remote area.

The deceased, identified as Haseena Begum, wife of Showket Ahmad Lone and a resident of Manzgund, Tulail, had been admitted for delivery-related treatment. She was referred from Primary Health Centre (PHC) Sheikhpora to SDH Dawar before doctors decided to shift her to Bandipora for better management. She died near Pethkot while being taken to the district hospital on Wednesday morning.

Block Medical Officer (BMO) Gurez Dr Faroz Iqbal told the news agency Kashmir News Trust that the woman had been referred from PHC Sheikhpora with a haemoglobin level of 5 grams per decilitre and arrived at SDH Dawar in a state of shock, with intrauterine death (IUD) already reported.

The BMO said doctors at SDH Dawar made efforts to save the woman and attempted to refer her to Bandipora in time. However, the ambulance could not proceed towards Bandipora on two occasions due to restrictions imposed amid the closure of the road following snowfall at Razdan Pass, he said.

Meanwhile, relatives and attendants staged a protest at SDH Dawar, alleging negligence and questioning why the available blood bank facility at the hospital had not been utilised. The family also alleged that a doctor was unavailable at PHC Sheikhpora when the woman needed medical attention and demanded action against the concerned medical staff.

Attendants have demanded a thorough inquiry into the incident, including the treatment provided at PHC Sheikhpora and SDH Dawar and the arrangements for managing obstetric emergencies in Gurez [KNT]