I am a 25-year-old pregnant woman, living in a small village in the mountain area in Pakistan.
I have an abnormal bleeding since this morning and the amount of bleeding is increasing.
After I told my husband, he took me to a clinic by bike. The closest clinic is located far from my place, taking one hour and a half by bike.
When we arrived there, the clinic staff told us that my doctor, a female obstetrician, was absent.
There was a male doctor in the clinic who covered the obstetrician’s work. He told us that I needed a physical examination, and most probably, needed to be admitted to a clinic. Otherwise, it would be risky for me and my baby.
However, my husband refused the physical examination by this male doctor because of religious reasons.
I cannot live if I do not follow my husband. There is no other clinic around our village, so we cannot find other doctors.
I am her husband.
I understand well what a male doctor explained to us, but we cannot ignore our religious rules.
There was no problem if a female doctor was at a clinic.
I do not have a choice, I take her back home.
I am very sorry for her that she could not receive medical care because of religious reasons.
It is too risky for their baby if she stays at home under this condition…
If there was a female doctor, a patient might be able to be admitted without any trouble.
The best is that a female doctor always stays at a clinic.
But in reality, a situation like this case happens often. Many clinics in rural areas have a limited number of doctors, and it is not easy to allocate a female doctor all the time.
How can we resolve this kind of situation?
