Palghar, Oct 24 – The family of a 25-year-old woman from Maharashtra’s Palghar district has claimed that she lost her baby during delivery at Mokhada Rural Hospital due to a lack of available medical personnel. The allegations have been firmly denied by hospital authorities.

According to the husband of Vaishali Ashok Batre, she was admitted to the hospital on the morning of October 22 for childbirth. He reported that no doctor was present for nearly 12 hours, with only a nurse available during this critical time. He attributed the death of their newborn to the absence of timely medical intervention and expert care.

The family further alleged that after the delivery, the hospital transferred the tribal woman and her deceased infant to the Khodala Primary Health Centre.

In response to these claims, Taluka Medical Officer Dr. Bhausaheb Chattar stated that a doctor was indeed on duty but was attending to an emergency case involving a snakebite at the time of the delivery. Dr. Chattar explained that when the baby was found not crying immediately after birth, the doctor quickly rushed to the ward but unfortunately discovered the infant lifeless.

Preliminary findings suggested that the baby may have had a congenital anomaly. Dr. Chattar emphasized that there was no negligence on the part of the medical team and confirmed the presence of backup staff at the hospital.