Lady Hardinge Medical College offers free epidural pain relief for women in labor
Lady Hardinge Medical College (LHMC) in New Delhi has started offering free epidural analgesia to women in labor to relieve childbirth pain. The initiative, which began at the end of May this year, aims to make critical pain relief accessible to underprivileged patients who deliver at the government facility.
While labor analgesia is common globally, it is rarely available in Delhi's government hospitals due to a high patient load and a shortage of anesthetists. LHMC, which conducts approximately 900 deliveries every month, is working to address this gap. Currently, an average of two to three women receive the pain relief procedure at the hospital each day.
The service is provided entirely free of charge at LHMC. In contrast, the same epidural procedure costs between Rs 5,000 and Rs 20,000 in private hospitals.
Dr. Ranju Singh, the head of the department of anesthesia, initiated the program with support from Dr. Ratna Biswas, the head of obstetrics and gynaecology. Dr. Singh explained that many patients from low-income backgrounds are unaware that pain relief options exist for childbirth, often believing that severe pain is unavoidable.
To implement the service, the hospital established a dedicated labor analgesia room that requires continuous 24/7 monitoring of both mother and child. Dr. Singh hired Dr. Parul Upreti as an assistant professor to oversee the room and train postgraduate students and senior residents. Dr. Upreti, who has several years of experience in the private sector, remains on duty in the room alongside an anesthesia technician and specialized monitoring equipment.
An epidural is administered via a catheter in the spine to target pain nerves. Dr. Singh emphasized that modern drugs and techniques ensure the procedure does not hinder a mother's ability to push, nor does it increase the likelihood of a caesarean delivery. If a normal delivery does require conversion to a C-section, the same epidural catheter can be used to administer the surgical anesthesia.
Dr. Monica, a senior resident doctor in the obstetrics and gynaecology ward, stated that the program has significantly reduced stress levels for both patients and staff in the ward. However, medical staff also expect patient loads to increase further as awareness of the free service grows.
