A woman considered “untouchable” in her country died Thursday after giving birth when doctors refused to treat her. Her newborn son died within minutes of his birth.
On Wednesday, 28-year old Maya Devi delivered a baby boy outside the maternity wing of Kanpur Medical College in northern Uttar Pradesh state. She suffered a heart attack and died in the Intensive Care Unit Thursday morning.
As a Dalit, Devi was considered an “untouchable,” a group at the bottom of the caste system in India. The Dalit have long been ostracized and forced into menial professions despite laws banning discrimination.
The Press Trust of India reported that several doctors, including the hospital’s chief medical superintendent, refused to touch Devi or provide medical care as she delivered her baby.
For more World News, please go to
http://www.transworldnews.com/NewsList.aspx?cat=11&wcat=1
