Declared dead by govt hospital in Madhya Pradesh; woman delivers healthy baby after second opinion

BHOPAL: Doctors at the District Hospital in Satna district of Madhya Pradesh declared a woman’s unborn child dead after failing to detect a heartbeat using Doppler and sonography.

She was advised to undergo an abortion.However, after the mother refused, her family sought a second opinion at a private clinic, where the foetus was found to be healthy. She was then taken to a private hospital, where she delivered a healthy 3.5 kg baby boy via caesarean section.The woman, Durga Dwivedi (24), a resident of Chakera village in Rampur Baghelan, was first admitted to Amarpatan Civil Hospital around 2 am on the night of July 15–16 due to labour pains.

Accompanied by an ASHA worker, she was referred to the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Government District Hospital in Satna at 4 am due to her high-risk pregnancy status.Upon arrival at the district hospital around 7:30 am, the duty doctor instructed routine blood tests. By 9 am, a senior resident doctor performed a Doppler examination but was unable to detect the foetal heartbeat. A follow-up sonography also showed no foetal movement, leading the medical team to conclude that the foetus had died.

They advised a medication-based abortion.Durga’s husband, Rahul Dwivedi, said his wife was not convinced by the diagnosis. “Despite being told there was no heartbeat, we felt we had to be sure before taking any step. We decided to get another scan done privately,” he told local media.The couple went to a diagnostic centre in Bharhutnagar, where a new sonography confirmed that the baby was alive and healthy. Durga was immediately shifted to a private nursing home, where she underwent a caesarean section.

A 3.5 kg healthy baby boy was born.Doctors at the private hospital said that when the patient arrived, her sonography was repeated. All vital signs and growth indicators were normal, so they proceeded with the delivery. The baby was born without complications.The case has triggered an official inquiry into alleged negligence by the district hospital. Authorities at the maternity wing acknowledged that the foetus’s heartbeat was not detected during the initial tests.

The Doppler and sonography both showed no heartbeat, which is why the foetus was declared dead, doctors at the district hospital stated.CMHO Dr L K Tiwari told the media that the matter came to light on Wednesday morning. A letter has been sent to the Dean of the Medical College and the Civil Surgeon. A detailed inquiry will be conducted, and strict action will be taken if any lapse is found.According to hospital sources, the names of three doctors have surfaced in the internal investigation so far, including a senior resident in radiology who conducted the sonography, and a senior resident in gynaecology.