Jaipur: With complaints pouring in against misbehaviour of nurses with pregnant women, state government issued guidelines on Tuesday to allow a relative as ‘birth companion’ of pregnant women, to remain present in the labour room at the time of delivery.Amid reports of medical staff mistreating pregnant women inside labour rooms , health department conducted a video conferencing with officials in other districts to improve the condition in labour rooms. Acknowledging the rude behaviour of its staff in labour rooms, health department issued directions to all districts to make available feedback registers at labour rooms, empowering patients and their relatives to write complaints against labour room staff, in case they demand money on childbirth as gift or abuse pregnant women in labour rooms.Special secretary (health) Dr Samit Sharma said that directions have been issued to take strict action against hospital or its staff for demanding gifts and money after childbirth in government hospitals and establishments.Moreover, feedback registers at labour rooms across the state will be made available to patients coming for maternal care. The decision has been taken as one of the measures to improve the scenario in labour rooms at government health centres/hospitals. The health department has issued the advisory for the labour rooms, as complaints regarding misbehaviour of nurses with the pregnant women are pouring in from across the state.Health department officials said that birth companions will provide emotional support to the pregnant women at time of childbirth. Officials said that presence of birth companions in labour rooms will minimise chances of infant theft and change of newborns.However, the guidelines also pointed out that if healthcare staff in labour room feel that the birth companion is disturbing them, they may ask her to move out of the labour room. The birth companions should only be a woman. The birth companion will help the pregnant woman to climb up the labour table. Moreover, if the birth companion has any sort of infection, such as cold and cough, she will not be allowed in the labour room.Health department officials claimed that the institutional deliveries in the state have increased in numbers and almost 85% of deliveries are happening in hospitals and clinical establishments.Petition filed in high court:A public interest Litigation) has been filed in the high court over reports of pregnant women being ill-treated and untrained hospital staff conducts delivery in government hospitals. The petition was moved by lawyer Kunal Rawat seeking directions to the medical and health department to fill up the posts in government hospitals and direction to establish sufficient number of PHCs and CHCs. It also asked to provide equipment, and ambulance facility in the rural areas.

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