Bombay HC seeks medical records of woman who delivered on platform

The Bombay high court today sought medical records of a woman, who delivered her baby on a railway platform as private hospitals refused to take her in even when she was in labour.

The mother, Ariya Khan, and her new-born baby were finally admitted to Bhagwati Hospital run by the BMC; but after discharge, the baby died.

One Deepika D'souza has filed a PIL, seeking a scheme to assist poor pregnant women who can't afford entry fee at private hospitals.

Gayatri Singh, petitioner's lawyer, said that Khan approached two hospitals while in labour, but was turned away.

At Bhagwati hospital, she was treated for 14 days, but the baby died two days after the discharge, she said.

The division bench of chief justice Mohit Shah and justice SC Dharmadhikari today sought medical records of the woman from Bhagwati. The woman herself is now not traceable.

MCGM lawyer Geeta Jogalekar said that at Bhagwati, the woman received proper treatment, and in fact the baby gained weight during her stay there. "But she failed to arrive for follow-up treatment on discharge," she said.

However, the court said that a woman such as her, who was a migrant labourer, was not expected to return on her own.