Malappuram : Two separate but equally alarming incidents this week have put the Indian healthcare system and regulatory oversight under renewed scrutiny.
In Kerala, a 35-year-old woman from Malappuram district died during childbirth at home, reportedly under the influence of her husband, who allegedly opposed modern medical care. The woman suffered fatal bleeding while delivering her fourth child. The husband, known locally for promoting anti-scientific views on social media, attempted to bury her body secretly, according to local police.
The Kerala Government Medical Officers’ Association (KGMOA) condemned the incident, calling it a “murder rooted in pseudoscience.” In a statement, KGMOA President Dr. Joseph Chacko said, “This tragedy is not a failure of access or infrastructure, but a result of deliberate misinformation.”
Kerala Health Minister Veena George said a detailed inquiry was underway. “Such reckless promotion of homebirths through social media will not be tolerated,” she said.
Although Kerala has one of the highest institutional delivery rates in India, government data revealed that 382 out of nearly 200,000 deliveries in the past year occurred at home, often without medical supervision.
Meanwhile, in Punjab, the Jalandhar District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission ordered Caremax Super Speciality Hospital and three of its doctors to pay Rs 5 lakh compensation to the family of a deceased cardiac patient, citing misrepresentation of medical qualifications and negligence.
The patient was admitted in July 2019 with symptoms of acute myocardial infarction. In the absence of the hospital’s lead cardiologist, two other doctors, including Dr. Sharma, who holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Cardiology (PGDCC), treated the patient.
The court found that the PGDCC qualification, offered by IGNOU and not recognised by the erstwhile Medical Council of India, did not entitle Dr. Sharma to practice as a cardiologist. It ruled that the hospital failed to provide appropriate specialist care and delayed crucial procedures like angioplasty.
Referring to the landmark Jacob Mathew vs. State of Punjab judgment, the court noted, “Only those with adequate qualifications and specialist training should perform tasks requiring expert skill. Misrepresentation amounts to negligence.”
The Commission further observed that the hospital had failed to disclose the absence of a qualified cardiologist to the patient’s family, depriving them of the opportunity to seek appropriate care elsewhere.
Both incidents have reignited debate over the need for stricter enforcement of medical qualifications, ethical transparency, and the urgent need to curb pseudoscientific narratives that put lives at risk.
