Woman Gives Birth On The Pavement Outside Rajbiraj Hospital; Ambulance Reaches Her Home Only After Viral Video Sparks Public Outrage

Kathmandu: A 29-year-old woman from Rajbiraj Municipality-14, Saptari, gave birth to a baby on a pavement outside Gajendra Narayan Singh Hospital after her family reportedly struggled to arrange money for additional medical tests.

CCTV footage showing the woman in labour outside the hospital on September 9 has gone viral on social media, raising serious questions about the treatment of patients who cannot immediately afford additional medical expenses.

According to documents obtained by TechPana, Babita Kumari Pasman had reached the hospital at around 2:10 am and was admitted for treatment. Her medical records show that she was in her fourth pregnancy and had previously given birth three times.

She Was Already in Labour

According to the hospital's labour chart, Babita's cervix was around 1.5 centimetres dilated, while the baby's heart rate was recorded at 138 beats per minute.

Babita had reportedly travelled around 15 kilometres to reach the hospital at around 1:30 am, accompanied by her husband Hareram Pasman and her aunt-in-law.

Although she had previously received a health check-up at a local health centre, the hospital reportedly asked her family to arrange additional video X-ray and blood sugar tests and handed her husband a bill.

Her husband, who had already struggled to arrange transport to the hospital, reportedly could not immediately arrange the additional money.

Woman Left Outside Hospital

According to journalist Sudha Dev, who shared the CCTV footage, Hareram remained outside after being unable to arrange the required payment.

Babita, who was experiencing labour pain, also reportedly left the hospital building and remained outside with her husband and another woman.

The CCTV footage, recorded between approximately 2:29 am and 4:35 am, shows Babita in severe labour pain on the pavement before eventually giving birth.

The family later returned inside the hospital after the baby was born for further treatment and to have the umbilical cord and newborn cleaned, but they allege that they were not provided a bed and were asked to leave.

Ambulance Arrives After Video Goes Viral

The incident drew widespread attention after the CCTV footage was shared on social media.

On Thursday, an ambulance from the same hospital reportedly arrived at Babita's home at around 12 noon, several hours after she had given birth.

According to Rajbiraj Municipality-14 ward member Ritesh Kumar Sah, three health workers arrived in the ambulance and took Babita and her newborn back to the hospital for treatment.

Journalist Sudha Dev, who was present when the health workers arrived, said the woman was taken to the hospital only after the footage became widely circulated online.

Serious Questions Over Patient Care

The incident has sparked public concern over whether a woman in active labour should have been left outside a government hospital because her family could not immediately arrange money for additional tests.

The available documents indicate that Babita had already been admitted and was undergoing labour assessment. However, the hospital's response to the allegations and the exact circumstances that led her to leave the facility have not been fully established.

The case has also renewed questions about access to emergency maternal care for families facing financial hardship, particularly when a patient is already in labour.

A full investigation would be needed to establish responsibility and determine whether hospital procedures were properly followed.