Relatives of a woman who died on Thursday, three days after giving birth to a child at the Seti Zonal Hospital in Dhangadhi, held protests at the hospital on Friday, claiming that the woman died due to the carelessness of the hospital staff. Personnel from the Nepal Police and Armed Police Force were deployed at the hospital after the protests turned violent.  

Rekha Thapa, 20, of Jugeda in Dhangadhi Sub-Metropolitan City died on her way to Kohalpur after the doctors at Seti hospital referred her to another health institution.

According to Medical Superintendent of Seti Zonal Hospital Dr Hem Raj Pandey, doctors at the hospital referred Rekha to Kohalpur after her condition deteriorated on the third day of delivery.

“Doctors had performed a caesarian on Rekha on Monday, after which they faced no complication. She was diagnosed with jaundice so we sent her to another hospital for treatment on Thursday,” Pandey told the Post.

However, relatives of Rekha argued that the death occurred due to the sheer

negligence on the part of the hospital and the paramedics.

Jaya Bahadur Thapa, Rekha’s husband, said, “Rekha was in a normal condition when she was admitted to the hospital on March 17. On the second day, doctors told us that she had to undergo a C-section for delivery. They kept telling us that her condition was normal, but they referred her to Kohalpur only when her condition had deteriorated further.”

A probe committee led by medical specialists has been formed to investigate into the incident. The hospital and the Ministry of Social Development have agreed to provide health treatment to the new born for free and to take responsibility for the child’s education.