A pregnant woman was forced to deliver her baby outside a government health facility in Madhya Pradesh’s Khargone district after arriving at the hospital during labour only to find the premises locked and medical staff absent. The incident, which occurred at a primary health centre in Shivna village, has triggered widespread public outrage and prompted authorities to launch an official inquiry into the lapse in healthcare services.
According to reports, the woman, identified as Baisu Bai, was brought to the health centre by her family as her labour pains intensified. Instead of receiving immediate medical attention, the family found the building closed, with no doctors or nurses present to assist. As her condition worsened and labour progressed rapidly, repeated attempts to contact hospital staff reportedly failed to bring any help. With no ambulance available and no medical personnel arriving in time, the woman ultimately gave birth on the ground outside the hospital gate, in full public view.
The situation gained further attention after a video recorded at the scene circulated widely on social media. In the footage, a staff member is heard saying that no one was present at the facility and that she would open the lock, before remarking that the family could complain to the Prime Minister. The comment, made during a moment of distress, intensified public anger, particularly because the health centre caters largely to a tribal population dependent on government healthcare services.
Responding to the incident, Chief Medical and Health Officer D.S. Chauhan acknowledged that the delivery point at the hospital was unmanned on the day the woman arrived. He stated that one staff member was already on leave while another had taken sudden half-day leave, leaving the facility without adequate personnel. Chauhan also claimed that the family had reached the hospital late and suggested that earlier arrival might have allowed arrangements to be made for proper care inside the facility.
Authorities have since initiated disciplinary action. The health department ordered a 15-day salary deduction for the staff members involved and launched a departmental inquiry into the incident. A notice has also been issued to the medical officer in charge of the facility, as officials examine accountability and procedural failures that led to the situation.
The woman’s family has demanded strict punishment for those responsible, arguing that the absence of medical staff placed both the mother and newborn at serious risk. Although both are reported to be safe, the incident has raised serious concerns about the reliability of healthcare infrastructure in remote and rural areas. The image of a woman delivering a child outside a locked government hospital has reignited debate over staffing shortages, oversight failures, and access to basic medical care in underserved regions of Madhya Pradesh.
