Karnataka: Denied Entry To Apartment, Hospitals, Dubai Returnee Suffers Miscarriage

A pregnant woman who recently returned from Dubai in a repatriation flight, suffered a miscarriage, after she was denied entry into her apartment in Mangaluru, private hospitals.

Victim identified as Fathima, was 6 months pregnant and wasn't allowed to enter her apartment complex despite testing negative for COVID-19, Times NOW reported.

Upon her arrival, Fathima stayed in a paid quarantine facility, in a hotel, and as per the protocol, the doctors tested her on the day of her arrival.

After being notified about her arrival in the society, the residents association of the apartment held a meeting and denied her entry, quoting the reason as the possibility of the woman being a coronavirus carrier, and forced her to return to institutional quarantine.

They remained adamant even after the family tried to explain them and issued the proof of her test results that stood negative for the infection.

"The apartment association that has educated people held a meeting - decided to allow her into the building only after a second test was negative & she was in quarantine for 14 days, we didn't have an option," Aziz Bastikar a relative of the woman told Times NOW.

Problems escalated when the woman was denied treatment in private hospitals, where the family took her for checkup. Gynecologists at various hospitals refused to see the expecting mother, citing similar reasons as the apartment association.

"After the apartment association turned us down, we thought we can get her check-up done & let her stay at a private hospital, we enquired at several hospitals & even at the unity hospital, the gynecologists, however, refused to see her & said it would be possible only after she got a second test done for Covid-19 & it was negative," the relative said.

Fathima was compelled to return to the hotel where she was initially quarantined. The authorities were too professional to provide her with urgent requirements.

After observing her deteriorating health, the family managed to convince a private nursing home to see her, where the doctors realised the condition of the mother and the unborn had worsened, due to which they were forced to go ahead with a premature delivery procedure, but couldn't save the child.

Post miscarriage, the woman underwent another COVID-19 test but was still refused entry in her apartment.

The matter has been brought into Mangalore corporation's attention and they have issued a notice to the apartment authorities. As of now, there is no update if any action has been taken against the private hospitals that denied her treatment.

Also Read: Karnataka: Govt To Have State Health Register For Citizens To Monitor COVID-19 Spread