Locals of Belkotgadhi Municipality-7 in Nuwakot district, who had obstructed the Galchhi-Trishuli road over the death of a mother following postpartum complications, agreed to reopen the road after an agreement with the Trishuli Hospital administration on Friday.

The agitating locals had obstructed the road at Mahadevphant in Nuwakot alleging hospital negligence for the death of Goma Osti, 28, who gave birth on Thursday morning at the hospital. The enraged locals had resorted to the protest, demanding justice for Osti’s family.

In the agreement signed in the presence of Chief District Officer Drona Pokharel, Tarekshwor Rural Municipality and the hospital staffers have agreed to provide Rs 150,000 for the care and education of Osti’s infant and bear the cost of the helicopter used to fly Osti to the Capital for treatment. The hospital has also expressed commitment in writing to not repeating such incidents in the future.

On Thursday, Osti’s husband Yubaraj, locally known as Govinda, had taken his wife to the hospital where she gave birth to a baby boy. The hospital sent the child to Kathmandu in an ambulance after it didn’t cry. But while Yubaraj was on his way to Kathmandu, he learnt that his wife was in a critical state due to excessive bleeding.

Osti had to be flown to Kathmandu for treatment as the Trishuli Hospital didn’t have the necessary anaesthetics to perform an urgent surgery. Red tape delayed the flight by four hours, by which time Osti had already lost seven to eight pints of blood, said Dr Rem Kumar Rai, acting medical superintendent at the hospital.

She was eventually brought to the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital in Maharajgunj, Kathmandu, but was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.

According to Dr Madhukar Dahal, a gynaecologist at the hospital, Osti was suffering from a uterus atony, a condition where the womb fails to contract after childbirth, leading her to start bleeding profusely after delivery.

Dahal said the hospital administration had to contact numerous government agencies, asking for assistance for an airlift. They eventually had to arrange for a private helicopter.

Osti’s relatives and locals, however, had alleged that the hospital was negligent in its treatment of Osti.

“Perhaps my wife would have survived had she been given necessary care on time,” said Yubaraj.

Doctors were adamant that they did everything they could to help Osti and that it was circumstances beyond their control that led to her death.

“We tried our best to save her. We are ready to face punishment if there was any mistake on our part,” said Rai.

The story has been updated.