A mother, who had just given birth to her child today, died after allegedly being assaulted by a nurse at a hospital in Kolkata, police said.

The incident took place in RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in north Kolkata.

Reshma Biwi, 20, an inhabitant of Deganga in West Bengal, was admitted in the hospital. She was allegedly pushed by a nurse following an altercation over money.

"A nurse demanded exorbitant amount after Reshma gave birth to her child on Sunday morning. The nurse abused and pushed her as we were not able to pay such high amount," alleged one of Ms Biwi's relatives.

According to her relatives, Ms Biwi was suffering from internal bleeding since her delivery and became unconscious after the assault. She was declared dead later.

This article appeared in ndtv's online publication.http://www.ndtv.com/kolkata-news/mother-of-newborn-dies-after-alleged-assault-by-nurse-1586753 on october 30,2016.

This incident happened in one of the city's pre-eminent govt hospitals,which are few to come by.The people who admit their relatives and friends here often come from far,and can't afford to bear the expenses of a private hospital.I have personally encountered many of the nursing staff in Rg Kar,Chittaranjan hospital(near park circus),etc who shirk their job on daily basis,and the patients don't get medicine on time.On top of this,their behavior towards the patients and the worried families is inhumane,and detrimental to the entire health service.They flaunt this attitude because they are well protected by their union and the security that comes with government jobs.While doctors frequently have to face an angry mob,people don't generally question a female nurse.I have seen junior doctors running around trying to manage the patient load while the nurses sit comfortably in their rooms chatting with one another.On asking around,one intern doctor confided in me that the situation is worse in the gynae department,where the sisters in the labour room do not even administer injections while a baby is being delivered,which is their most important job.The doctors,thus unassisted,often cannot do things in the right order and the mothers and babies suffer while the sisters chat away in the A.C. room.

While this incident surpasses all in terms of sheer brutality,similar acts of disdain keep happening every single day,in every Govt hospital of this state.While the state Govt has taken innumerable measures to curb the malpractice among doctors,few have paid attention to the corruption among nurses,who form the bulwark of health service.If the state government acts on this,many of our patients won't die out of greed or negligence.

Therefore,I ask the Hon'ble Chief Minister and Minister in charge of Health and Family Welfare of West Bengal,Ms Mamata Banerjee to set up an appraisal committee to oversee the performance of nursing staff in various hospitals in the state.

Join me in asking the Chief Minister  to immediately take actions in this regard. Sign my petition and forward it to your friends and family to save the lives of many more women,and men in West bengal.

Thanks in advance for taking action,

Ankit.