A shocking case has emerged from Odisha’s Ganjam district, where a nursing home proprietor has been arrested for allegedly conducting a delivery without any medical qualification, leading to the death of both a mother and her newborn. Police said Mangulu Charan Pradhan (35), a resident of Dengausta, carried out the procedure inside his nursing home on 11 May along with two auxiliary nurse midwives (ANMs), despite there being no registered medical practitioner present. Digapahandi police station inspector-in-charge Prasant Kumar Patra confirmed that Pradhan was arrested from his village following a complaint by the deceased woman’s husband, Babu Nayak of Korakhandi. The two ANMs accused of involvement: Madhusmita Pattanayak and Pramodini Gamango, had already been arrested on May 19 and August 10, respectively, according to police. Investigators said the nursing home had assured the woman’s family that it was fully equipped for a safe delivery. On this basis, the victim, Roji Nayak, was admitted on 11 May. “After four hours of labour, the delivery was conducted by the accused without any qualified doctor present.”A police officer told PTI that the newborn was declared dead shortly after birth, and Roji herself died on the way to MKCG Medical College and Hospital.
