Woman dies post-delivery after waiting overnight for ambulance

A woman lost her life after childbirth at Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Chamba, on Thursday due to non-availability of critical care ambulance to shift her to higher healthcare institution.

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She had been admitted to the hospital for the delivery of her second child. She gave birth to a baby girl on Wednesday after the doctors from the gynaecology department performed a C-section procedure. However, after the surgery, the woman suffered excessive bleeding, which doctors tried their best to control but were unsuccessful.

As her condition worsened late Wednesday night, doctors decided to refer her to Dr Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College, Tanda, for advanced treatment. However, a critical care ambulance equipped with a ventilator, oxygen and other necessary life-support equipment was unavailable at the Chamba Medical College.

Her family desperately searched for an ambulance throughout the night, but the only available life-saving ambulance had already been dispatched to Tanda with another patient. When the family contacted the hospital superintendent, they were informed that they would have to wait for the ambulance to return. Helpless, they waited for hours while the woman’s condition deteriorated.

In a final attempt, the family arranged for a private critical care ambulance from outside the district, but before it could reach Chamba, the woman could not survive.

The tragedy once again highlights the shortcomings in the healthcare system, where the lack of basic emergency facilities cost a woman her life.

Speaking on the incident, Dr Pankaj Gupta, Principal of Chamba Medical College, said he immediately called the gynaecology department doctors to gather complete details. He acknowledged that the woman was in a critical state and died before an ambulance could be arranged. He assured that to prevent such incidents, a request will be made to the government for additional life-saving ambulances.