Religious beliefs, stubbornness kills mother-to-be in Malappuram

In a tragic incident, a 24-year-old woman died following childbirth at home as the family refused to go to hospital stating religious grounds. The incident took place in Manjeri, Malappuram.

Though the woman was rushed to hospital later, she died of excessive bleeding. The deceased is identified as Hannath of Kunnummal Vellapppatil House, Payyanad. 

The incident took place on August 4, and the woman gave birth to a boy in the house. Neither she nor her family, including husband Muhammed Yunus, were ready to take her to hospital citing religious reasons. 

A preliminary investigation into the issue has revealed that the death was due to lack of medical care during labour. It was a midwife who attended the delivery in the house. Due to her lapse, the placenta was left behind leading to excessive blood loss, District Medical Administration informed. 

As her condition worsened, the family rushed her to a nearby private hospital but were not ready to get her admitted. The family even refused to conduct the postmortem and returned home with her body.

The medical authorities also said that officials had visited the woman and her family several times and had requested them to go to the hospital. However, the family refused to approach a hospital and said they have to stay away from modern medicine as per their religious belief. 

District Medical Officer Dr K Sakeena stated that the family of the woman was responsible for her death. "The woman was refused regular vaccinations needed for a pregnant woman, and the family was against going to hospital stating their religious beliefs. Volunteers of health department had repeatedly asked her to go to the hospital, but we don't have any authority to take them to hospital forcefully," she said. 

The officials also contacted the midwife as part of the investigation, and it was learnt that it was her mistake that led to excessive bleeding, the officer said. 

She also stated that more and more women are opting to undergo delivery at home in Malappuram owing to a misguided belief that conventional methods are better than modern treatment. With the anti-institutional delivery idea receiving wide acceptance among public like anti-vaccination campaign the health officials have decided to strengthen field work to create awareness among the public, the DMO said. 
 

• Mother dies in child birth
• labour death
• Malappuram