Doctor assaulted as woman dies after childbirth in Kolkata hospital

A family member of a woman, who died at a hospital in Kolkata following childbirth, slapped one of the doctors on Thursday (February 20), alleging medical negligence. Local reports suggest the incident occurred at the Calcutta Medical Research Institute and identified the deceased as Pinki Bhattacharya.

Video footage on news channels showed the grieving man assaulting a doctor while he was trying to explain the situation to the family members of the deceased. The incident occurred in presence of several people and a police personnel, leading to tension in the hospital.

Hospital sources said the 33-year-old woman had delivered her child on Wednesday morning. Both the mother and the child were in stable condition throughout the day. However, the woman’s health deteriorated early on Thursday, following which she died of cardiac arrest, the sources said.

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“This is an unfortunate incident. The doctor, who tried to explain the situation to the family members and also suggested a post-mortem, was assaulted. We express our condolences to the family. However, physical violence is totally unacceptable,” the spokesperson at the hospital said.

A relative of the deceased woman claimed she died due to medical negligence. The relative, while talking to TV channels, also said that the family would seek legal help. “We will not seek any compensation, but take the legal route… We will also approach the medical council,” she added.

(With inputs from agencies)