In a very shocking case of suspected medical negligence, a Telangana woman lost her twins following an emergency caesarean section that was reportedly conducted by nurses in the absence of a doctor. The incident occurred on Sunday, May 4, at Vijayalaxmi Hospital in Ibrahimpatnam, near Hyderabad, Telangana.
B. Keerthi, a 30-year-old village resident from Eliminedu village, was pregnant for five months and delivered twins by in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) after six years of marriage. The joy of her family was quickly replaced by grief after the incidents at the hospital.
Video Call Guidance Replaces In-Person Medical Care
Keerthi was taken to the hospital in the early hours of Sunday with abdominal pain. Her husband, Butti Ganesh, a conductor with TGRTC, explained to journalists that her usual gynaecologist, Dr. V. Anusha Reddy, was not available. She allegedly ordered the nursing team to conduct the emergency procedure over a WhatsApp video call.
I had an ache in my abdomen. Over the phone, they asked me to take an injection. I was worried, so we came to the hospital within half an hour. The doctor advised the nurses over the phone, and they started the treatment on her instructions. The nurse checked me twice. I started bleeding. It is only after my babies came out that the doctor arrived. She said the babies had died. The doctor didn't check me at all
B. Keerthi, the mother
The twins were delivered at only 18 weeks and unfortunately did not survive. Keerthi had excessive bleeding during the procedure and was subsequently transferred to another hospital, where her condition has stabilized since.
Family speaks out: "We trusted them, but they abandoned us."
The moment they inserted their hand, there was blood everywhere, and the foetuses were delivered. The doctor came much later and told us the babies died due to a blood clot. No proper treatment was given. My wife kept asking where the doctor was, but the nurses kept saying she was on her way
Butti Ganesh, Keerthi's Husband
Dr. Anusha reached only after the infants died, and she blamed it on a blood clot.
The family vented their rage, stating that they had believed in the doctor and the hospital during their pregnancy. Keerthi had also received a cervical cerclage procedure at the same facility a month ago to avoid a premature birth.
Protests Lead to Hospital Closure and Official Probe
Grieving family members and residents demonstrated outside the hospital, calling for action to be taken. To this, Ranga Reddy District Medical and Health Officer Dr. Venkateshwar Rao said that the hospital had indeed been sealed for a thorough inquiry.
“The patient’s relatives alleged that the doctor was not physically present during the surgery. We have sealed the hospital and will conduct a detailed inquiry,” he added.
Police have lodged a First Information Report (FIR) against the doctor and the hospital under Section 106(1), read with Section 3(5) of the Bharatiya Naya Samhita (BNS), which pertains to medical negligence.
It was extremely unprofessional of the doctor to let the nurses perform the complex procedure. We will conduct a thorough inquiry and submit our report to the police and higher authorities
B Venkateswar Rao, District Medical and Health Officer of Rangareddy
"We did everything right – but the system failed us."
Looking back on the experience, Ganesh explained,
“We trusted the hospital because they said the babies’ heartbeats were fine. Even on Saturday, the doctor gave her glucose and asked for another scan. But on Sunday, the pain worsened. That’s when everything went wrong. This was our first pregnancy after years of struggle and IVF. We did everything right, but the system failed us.”
As the inquiry continues, the case has re-ignited debate on patient safety, accountability, and the need for regulation in private healthcare establishments.
(Input from various sources)
(Rehash/Muhammad Faisal Arshad/MSM)
