Superstitions led expectant mother to bleed for hours before being rescued

Rayagada: Superstition and inhumanity touched heights after family members of an expectant mother denied to touch her, leave alone carry her to the hospital in Kalyansinghpur late on Friday night.

The incident reported from Singhamuhi village under Karapa Panchayat took place when the woman complained of labour pain yesterday. Soon, an Asha worker reached and asked the family to take her to the hospital.

Driven by superstitious beliefs, the men in the family denied even touching the woman in pain as she was reportedly bleeding profusely.

In absence of network connection even the ambulance could not be contacted to reach the village. After being informed, In-charge doctor of Kalyansinghpur CHC and a team of local journalists reached the village to take stock of the situation.

Seeing the family unmoved despite efforts, the team carried the woman in labour through muddy roads, dense forest and crossed a river in an Amadori (makeshift strethcher) for nearly four kilometers to reach the nearby junction.

OTV reporter Maudi Barik was also seen holding the stretcher.

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Later, the local villagers cooperated with the media team and helped them carry the woman further for five kilometers. She was then made to lie inside government MMT vehicle of the CHC and admitted to the Kalyansinghpur Health Centre.

As her condition worsened, she has been shifted to the Rayagada District Headquarters Hospital and is under medical observation, sources said.

“I was returning from Rayagada from a function when I got to know about the incident. Along with a team of reporters, I was able to reach the village. We referred to shift her to the DHH as the woman had been bleeding since six seven hours which reduced her haemoglobin level. We tried to contact 108 ambulance but there was no network in the village. The condition of the woman was serious, and as I'm In-charge of the Medical, I referred to use the government MMT vehicle to take her to the hospital,” said Laxmi Kanth Sahu, In-charge of Kalyansinghpur CHC.

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