Mumbai: BJP MLA approaches cops against BMC after pregnant woman dies

(Eds: Adds BMC, AAP quotes) Mumbai, Sep 28 (PTI) A Mumbai BJP MLA on Tuesday approached police claiming an 8-month pregnant woman died due to lack of doctors at a civic maternity home, an official said.

Mulund MLA Mihir Kotecha has said a woman was brought to a BMC-run maternity home late Sunday night but had to be rushed, due to lack of doctors at the facility, to another hospital, where she died on Monday, the police official informed.

"The MLA wanted an FIR to be registered against civic officials. No case has been registered as yet. We are probing the matter," he said.

A statement from AAP Mumbai leader Preeti Sharma Menon called the death of the woman as shocking and said, while people wanted appropriate medical care, the BMC was "only concerned with theatrics and PR".

"This is gross incompetency on part of the Shiv Sena led BMC, which is now literally costing lives," she added.

Refuting the allegations, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation said the "seven month pregnant 26-year-old Mulund resident lady was admitted to the civic body's maternity facility on September 27 and her blood reports were sent for testing on the same day".

It said on duty doctors decided to shift her to Sawarkar hospital from there at midnight due to her impaired health after complaints of diarrhea and dizziness.

"The lady's relatives couldn't be reached, and they shifted the lady to Sawarkar hospital and the local police were informed about it. Even doctors at Sawarkar hospital had decided to shift her to Nair hospital, but her relatives were unavailable. By the time they reached, her health had deteriorated," the civic body said.

The BMC statement said she was shifted to the ICU of Savarkar hospital and on duty doctors had started necessary treatment, but she died 3.22 am. Her body was sent for autopsy to Rajawadi hospital at Ghatkopar. PTI ZA KK BNM BNM BNM