Indignities in Institutional deliveries in Kerala, India: Need for a monitoring mechanism

In this paper, we present situations in the hospitals and labour rooms where women give birth and analyse how women’s dignity is lost/ decreased and it cannot be restored without a professional intervention. In the endeavour to ensuring quality health care services, various issues arise that are linked to human dignity and human rights. Human dignity in health care is recognized as the most important non-clinical and intangible dimension. In a qualitative research that is based on grounded theory, we have explored the dignity violations in institutional childbirths in Kerala, India. Key informants interviews, interviews with birthing women and participant observation of six months in labour rooms / wards are the data collection methods employed. It is found out that dignity violation is rampant in these institutions. A woman with dignity related issues has no abilities to emphasize her own uniqueness and authenticity; she stops to progress physically, intellectually and spiritually. A public health intervention should be based on continuous monitoring of the labour process by a team which should include doctors, social workers and nurses. This intervention in maternity wards/ labour rooms can only help the woman-in-birth to go through an engendering, empowering experience of child birth