Mother Gives Birth On Footpath Outside Rajbiraj Hospital As Family Alleges She Was Refused Admission Over Tests

JANAKPURDHAM, NEPAL, September 10, 2026

Woman Gives Birth Outside Government Hospital

Babita Paswan of Rajbiraj Municipality–14, Parsahi, Saptari, gave birth to a baby boy on a footpath outside Gajendra Narayan Singh Sagarmatha Hospital in Rajbiraj early Wednesday after arriving there with labour pain. Babita and her family allege that the hospital did not allow her to remain for delivery because she could not immediately pay for medical tests, while hospital officials dispute that account and say she had been admitted before leaving the hospital area.

Babita Says She Could Not Afford The Tests

According to Babita, labour pain began at around 1:30 am on Wednesday, after which her husband, Hareram Paswan, and two female relatives took her to the hospital in a city rickshaw.

She said a staff nurse in the maternity department asked her to undergo an ultrasound and blood and urine tests. According to Babita, she was told the tests would cost around Rs 2,500.

Babita said she did not have the money and asked hospital staff to admit her and allow her to complete the tests in the morning. She alleged that the staff member refused to keep her there without the tests and told her to leave.

Baby Born On The Footpath

After leaving the hospital, Babita and her family went to an area outside a nearby medicine shop. She said they hoped she could be examined by a doctor in the morning.

Her labour pain soon became severe, and she eventually gave birth to a baby boy on the footpath, with relatives beside her. A video showing Babita experiencing labour pain outside the hospital has since circulated publicly and triggered criticism of the treatment she allegedly received.

Family Says They Returned With Newborn

Babita said her family returned to the hospital carrying the newborn with the umbilical cord and placenta still attached.

She alleged that she was again not properly admitted and eventually returned home with her family. These claims have not yet been independently established by an official investigation.

Hospital Gives A Different Account

Hospital officials have disputed Babita's version of events.

Manoj Dev, the hospital's focal person for free health services, said Babita arrived at around 2 am and was given Bed No. 24. According to him, health workers found that she had not undergone necessary pregnancy-related examinations and sent her to the laboratory for tests.

Dev claimed that Babita and her family went towards the laboratory but then left the hospital. He said they returned after the baby had been born, after which hospital staff cut the umbilical cord.

Hospital Announces Investigation

Hospital Medical Superintendent Dr Ranjit Kumar Jha said he learned about the incident after seeing the video and was in Kathmandu at the time.

He said he had received information that the woman returned to the hospital after giving birth. He also said the hospital was preparing to form an investigation committee to examine what happened.

The investigation will be important because the mother's account and the hospital's account differ on the central question of whether she was refused care or left after being sent for medical tests.

Incident Raises Questions Over Maternity Care

The incident has triggered criticism after footage of a woman giving birth outside a government hospital became public.

For now, however, claims that hospital staff deliberately refused Babita admission because she could not pay should be treated as allegations from Babita and her family, rather than an established finding, until the hospital's investigation or another competent authority determines what happened.