Overview
- The National Commission for Women, which acted Wednesday, directed the Pune district collector and Maharashtra’s health secretary to investigate and report back within seven days.
- The order seeks to fix responsibility for an alleged refusal to admit a woman for delivery at Shirur Rural Hospital and to ensure postnatal care for the mother and baby.
- In Shirur, 23-year-old Supriya Nitesh Kale went into labor near Nirmal/Nirman Chowk and delivered on the roadside with help from locals and gynecologist Dr. Sunita Pote.
- Residents held up sarees, gowns, and bedsheets to create privacy while Dr. Pote managed the birth, and both mother and newborn were later reported safe.
- Reports say the hospital had stopped taking childbirth admissions and told the couple to go to Ahalyanagar or Pune, underscoring gaps in rural maternity care that the NCW says must be addressed.