Woman, her newborn twins die in UP ‘clinic’ run by quack

Additional Superintendent of Police for Sambhal, Anukriti Sharma, said the deaths happened on Thursday after the woman, 28-year-old Puja, was admitted to ‘New Raj Hospital’ in Sambhal’s Gunnaur town.

During interrogation, Singh told police that he was a graduate and working as a technician in the ambulance of a government-hospital. There, he told police, he came in contact with a doctor from whom he learnt a few medical terms and medicines.

“He then started operating as a doctor at the clinic five years ago,” said Additional SP.

The woman’s husband, Puran, 35, told The Indian Express that the quack kept giving her one saline bottle after another following the delivery of the boy and girl. This, he said, made him suspicious after the death of his wife hours later.

“The child was delivered through a normal procedure at the clinic. But after five hours, the twins died at the hospital and the condition of my wife also started deteriorating,” his police complaint said, accusing the “doctor” of negligence.

After the deaths, Puran made an emergency call to the Sambhal Police, who sent the bodies for an autopsy.

The Chief Medical Officer, meanwhile, flagged the case to an official in charge of dealing with quacks. This official, Dr Viraj, wrote to the station house officer on Friday: “After being alerted of the death of the woman, we inspected the clinic and found that the place was operating illegally as a hospital. Take action against S P Singh under relevant sections of National Medical Council Act, 2019 and 318(4) (cheating).”

The Additional SP said: “We registered an FIR against the fake medical practitioner and the midwife under BNS Sections 105 (culpable homicide) and 34(2)(act done in private defence) and we have arrested the accused in this case.”

Police are also investigating if there were other people involved in the case. “We will take stern action against them and have added the sections suggested (by the official) to the FIR,” Additional SP Sharma said.