Inquiry Ordered as Dombivali Civic Hospital Declares 16-Year-Old Pregnant

Abhinav Goel, the commissioner of the Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC), has ordered an official inquiry into an incident at the civic-run Shastri Nagar Hospital in Dombivali, where doctors reportedly declared a 16-year-old girl pregnant based on disputed diagnostic tests. The teenager's family raised strong objections to the medical team's findings, alleging that the pregnancy tests were conducted without their consent and yielded inaccurate results.

The incident began on July 30, when the Class 12 student was taken to Shastri Nagar Hospital in Dombivali seeking medical care for low haemoglobin levels and heavy bleeding.

According to KDMC corporator Dipesh Mhatre, a resident medical officer (RMO) at the facility performed two strip tests and a sonography on the minor patient. Mhatre alleged that these diagnostic procedures were carried out without receiving prior consent from either the girl or her family members. Following the examinations, hospital staff informed the family that the teenager was pregnant.

The girl's family disputed the diagnosis and subsequently took her to a private hospital for re-testing. Mhatre stated that the pregnancy test conducted at the private facility returned a negative result. Outraged by the initial declaration at the civic hospital, the family demanded strict action and requested that a formal criminal case be registered against the doctors involved.

The controversy was formally raised during a KDMC Standing Committee meeting on Monday, leading to discussions over the facility's handling of the case.

Addressing the allegations, KDMC chief health officer Dr Deepa Shukla stated that the attending doctor originally conducted a urine pregnancy test (UPT), which indicated a weakly positive result. Following that initial test, the doctor proceeded with an ultrasound and other tests to confirm the pregnancy status. Dr Shukla stated that she could not provide further comments while the official investigation ordered by Commissioner Goel is underway.