Published Aug 25, 2023 | 6:07 PM ⚊ Updated Aug 25, 2023 | 6:07 PM
Despite their desperate pleas for help, the ambulance failed to reach their location. (Supplied)
In a distressing incident in Telangana’s Nirmal district, a tribal woman delivered a baby by the side of the road while waiting for an ambulance that failed to arrive on time.
Gangamani, from the remote Tulsipet village in Pembi mandal of Nirmal district, experienced labour pains on Thursday, 24 August. As the village lacks road connectivity, the woman’s family members carried her in their arms across a stream to reach the nearest road.
According to her family, they immediately called for an ambulance to ensure her safe transportation to the hospital. However, despite their desperate pleas for help, the ambulance failed to reach their location, and they had to deliver the baby by the side of the road.
Meanwhile, the District Medical and Health Officer of Nirmal mentioned that the baby was due only next month.
A BROKEN HEALTHCARE SYSTEM lets a woman deliver on the road!
Korukanti Lavanya, an adivasi pregnant woman is robbed of basic human decency when she delivered in the middle of the street in #Khanapur #Telangana because the local PHC ambulance denied to pick her up saying there… pic.twitter.com/q0bZu6sT8V
— Revathi (@revathitweets) August 25, 2023
“The PHC (primary health centre) had noted her expected due date as 20 September. Five days ago, an ASHA worker contacted her and asked her to come to the PHC for a monthly check-up. However, she didn’t go, stating that she had pending work, and planned to come on 24 August,” Dr Dhanraj, DMHO, told South First.
He added that near her location, there is a stream and the bridge connecting the other side, where the PHC is located, was damaged in the recent rains.
“The ASHA worker had advised her to cross the bridge before her due date so that an ambulance could reach there,” said the DMHO.
He added that even on Thursday, she went to do farm work as she didn’t expect to go into labour.
“Her first delivery was a normal one. She wasn’t a high-risk patient and didn’t have complications, like high blood pressure. If she had had these complications, we would have transferred her to a tertiary care facility well before. But her vitals were normal, so she was asked to stay at home,” said the DMHO.
They were expecting that she would deliver at the PHC or, worst case scenario, at the community health centre in Khanapur district.
“When she experienced pain yesterday, she called the ASHA worker, who assured her that she would arrange a vehicle and asked them to cross the stream,” said the DMHO.
The family also alleged that when they called the 108 ambulance service to reach the government hospital at the mandal headquarters, they were told that the vehicle was running out of fuel. The woman had to endure agony for four hours and had the roadside delivery with the help of family members.
The ambulance arrived only after the delivery. Both the woman and the baby boy are believed to be safe and have been shifted to the hospital.
The DMHO, however, was unable to confirm the fuel situation.
“I can’t confirm the fuel situation, but the 108 ambulance reached there with a delay of only half an hour. By then, she had gone into labour and the 108 staff completed the delivery and shifted her to the PHC,” said the DMHO.
He explained that the PHC has one 102 Amma Vodi ambulance, which did not reach on time, and there are two ambulances in her area — 102 and 108 — at the district level.
The villagers have demanded road connectivity to prevent such incidents.
