The National Human Rights Commission, has taken suo motu cognizance of a media report, and has thereby issued a notice to the Chief Secretary, Government of Telengana calling for a report within four weeks into the allegations that the operation theater of a six-bedded Primary Health Centre for pregnant women and new mothers in Hyderabad remained non-functional and covered in dust.
Allegedly, there had been no electricity in the Centre for the last four months due to non-payment of electricity bill of 72 thousand rupees due to political limbo following the creation of new Telengana State.
In the empty Centre, the labour room was dark, dingy and abandoned. Deliveries and other services were stopped even as emergency cases were being turned away.
The Commission has observed that there has been a serious violation of human rights of women in particular who needed maternity medical treatment and others in general who were being deprived of primary healthcare facilities at this Centre.
Reportedly, no doctor had been posted there since January this year and Auxiliary Nurses and Midwives (ANM) had been running the Centre. The Centre caters to about 70 thousand population. One ANM said that they had no option but to stop deliveries and other services.
