In Nepal, woman gives birth near hospital due to lack of money for test — Kathmandu Post
In the Nepalese city of Rajbiraj, Babita Paswan gave birth to a child on the sidewalk near a hospital because she did not have money for a blood test. According to the Kathmandu Post, payment for this test was required before assistance was provided. A few days later, the woman returned home.
The hospital was close to the place where the birth occurred. The publication writes that Paswan was unable to pay for the required blood test. At night, she gave birth to the child by the road rather than in a medical facility.
Birth near a medical facility
The column considers this case an example of the gap between the formal existence of a right and actual access to it. The author notes that the existence of a hospital, a healthcare system, and assistance mechanisms does not in itself guarantee their accessibility to a person without money.
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Access to rights and services
The author links Paswan's story to Mahatma Gandhi's approach, according to which government decisions should be assessed by whether they improve the situation of the poorest and most vulnerable person. The article also mentions economist Jean Drèze, who viewed poverty not only as a lack of income but also as limited access to food, education, medical care, and other public services.
The column raises the question of whether the right to safe childbirth can depend on a person's ability to pay. The author calls poverty, discrimination, social exclusion, inequality of opportunity, and unequal access to public services forms of everyday violence that leave the lives of the most vulnerable citizens unprotected.
