VietNamNet Bridge - Highway 45, the section crossing Van Ha town in Thieu Hoa district, Thanh Hoa province was congested with traffic for several kilometers in the afternoon of October 20 because thousands of people marched on the road with the coffin of a pregnant woman.

More than 1 day after Mrs. Nguyen Thi Xuan, 40 years old from Thieu Phuc Commune, Thieu Hoa district, Thanh Hoa province died at the Thieu Hoa District Hospital while giving birth, the woman’s family agreed to take the body home for burial.

At over 11am on October 20, a specialized car of Thieu Hoa district police left the hospital, with the body of the woman. When the car left the hospital’s gate, the family forced the driver, who is a policeman, to carry the body on the streets of Van Ha town.

They also forced the driver to stop the car in front of the house of Dr. Le Van Dinh, Deputy Director of Thieu Hoa District Hospital. Thousands of people flocked to see and follow the car.

Here, many people beat the drum, scattered votive papers, dropped wreaths and booed. Many people surrounded the doctor’s house and then entered the house to search for the doctor. They blamed the doctor for the death of the woman and wanted to beat him.

Failing to find the doctor, some people damaged assets in the house. The doctor’s wife and children had to flee to avoid the wrath of the people.

Thieu Hoa district police mobilized hundreds of police officers to restore order. By about 1.30pm, the local government could persuade people to take the body home for burial.

The incident caused severe congestion on National Highway 45 for hours. Police are estimating asset damage at the home of the doctor.

Earlier, at around 7.30pm on October 17, Mrs. Xuan had signs of labor so she was brought to the Hospital of Thieu Hoa district. After examination, doctors said the woman and her baby were health and Xuan could give birth normally.

Midnight, Xuan suffered severe abdominal pain. The family called doctors to check and the doctors said the vulva did not open and the woman had to wait. A few hours later, the woman kept feeling severe pain so the family again asked doctors to perform a caesarean but doctors did not agree.

"They said the situation remained under control, nothing was unusual and we had to wait. The family was helpless because there was no other way ...," recalled Mrs. Nguyen Thi Hoa, Xuan’s sister.

Until 3am, seeing abnormal symptoms, doctors decided to put the woman on the operating table. However, until over 5am, doctors did not perform the operation. At 5h45, the family was informed that the woman and her baby died.

Given that the sudden death of Xuan and her baby was caused by the doctors, hundreds of relatives of the woman flocked to the hospital. They asked forensic investigation to clarify the death, but by the central agency, not Thanh Hoa police.

Relatives said that this was the third child of Xuan. The baby was diagnosed to be healthy and weighed 3.4 kg.

The hospital has temporarily paid the family VND150 million ($7,500).

Le Ha