TN woman dies after family ‘delivers’ baby with help of YouTube videos
Sasikala seemed fine initially, but later started hemorrhaging after the placenta failed to detach, say police
A 32-year-old woman from Tiruppur district in Tamil Nadu died due to excessive blood loss after her family made her undergo a vaginal delivery at home, allegedly with the help of knowledge from the internet and YouTube videos.
The infant is healthy and no arrests have been made in the case so far, even though police have filed a complaint against the woman’s husband, Kolanthaisamy.
‘Family took help of YouTube videos’
Sasikala, a software engineer, was a resident of Punjai Thalavaipalayam village in Uthukuli taluk of Tirupur district.
Also read: Kerala doctors demand strict law against 'criminal' home births
Reports quoting police said she went into labour on the morning of June 24. But her husband and mother-in-law allegedly decided to conduct natural delivery with the help of knowledge available on the internet and YouTube videos.
Sasikala initially appeared fine after delivering the baby, but when the placenta failed to detach from the uterus, she started bleeding profusely. Her family rushed her to the Government Erode Medical College Hospital at Perundurai. She was shifted to a private hospital in Coimbatore on June 25. Her condition didn’t improve and she breathed her last on June 28.
Past trauma behind decision?
Initial probe into the death has revealed that it was Sasikala and her husband’s decision to opt for a natural delivery at home. After undergoing a Caesarean Section delivery during her first pregnancy in 2020, she had reportedly developed an aversion to allopathic medicines. The surgery too had affected her psychologically and she didn’t want to go under the knife once more, said an ABP Live report.
It is also being alleged that the family didn’t opt for antenatal checkups through government healthcare teams.
Also read: Tamil Nadu | Home births gaining ground despite govt's warning on perils
“The family wanted to give birth naturally and hence they did not follow up with government healthcare teams for periodic check-ups and monitoring. We are investigating," a police officer told NDTV.
Murder case filed
Police are investigating the circumstances leading to the delivery. They are probing whether the family relied on online knowledge to carry out the delivery at home and if any unauthorised persons were involved in the process.
Uthukuli Police have filed a case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder against Sasikala’s husband Kolanthaisamy while invoking sections of the National Medical Commission Act. The case was filed based on a complaint filed by the Block Medical Officer of Kunnathur.
Also read: When Supreme Court had to remind India that women own their bodies
The state Health Department has also begun an inquiry into the incident and is checking if the family did miss prenatal check-ups to deliberately avoid an institutional delivery.
TN's stress on institutional delivery
The case of medical neglect is significant as it is reported in a state that prioritises institutional childbirth and has a robust follow-up mechanism to assist expecting mothers in availing the same.
The DMK government last year stated that the state has achieved an institutional delivery rate of 99.9 per cent in 2024, accounting for 8.02 lakh deliveries. According to then Health Minister Ma Subramanian, Tamil Nadu’s Maternity Mortality Rate currently stands at 39 per 1,00,000 live births, one of the lowest in the country.