Hyderabad: Following the incident, the govt has suspended medical officer, Dr Ch Sudeep, for dereliction of duty and initiated disciplinary action against three others for negligence in delivery of healthcare services. The decision was taken after an inquiry was ordered into the incident on the directions of health minister Damodar Rajanarsimha.During the inquiry conducted on June 17 by the project officer, ITDA, Bhadrachalam, it was revealed that there were lapses in communication, case management and adherence to referral protocols. Disciplinary proceedings have been initiated against Asha worker Mokalla Lakshmi and Multi-Purpose Health Assistant (MPHA) P Dhanamma for failing to identify the beneficiary as a high-risk pregnancy despite severe anaemia (haemoglobin approximately 3 g/dL), and for not ensuring timely referral and communication to the medical officer.Similarly, disciplinary action has been initiated against MPHA E Gyaneswari, who was on duty at the PHC, for conducting the delivery without prior consultation with the medical officer and for failing to ensure that a healthcare provider accompanied the patient during referral despite severe postpartum haemorrhage. To establish the complete facts surrounding the incident and recommend systemic measures to prevent recurrence of such incidents, the govt has constituted a high-level committee comprising Dr Ravinder Naik, director of public health, Dr Sudheera, joint director (maternal health), Dr Rathod Tularam, DMHO, Bhadradri Kothagudem, and Dr G Ravi Babu, district coordinator of health services (DCHS). The committee said it is conducting a comprehensive inquiry and will submit its report to the govt.
