Woman delivers baby on roadside amid heavy rain in Odisha

Rayagada: In what could serve as a grim reminder of lack of basic healthcare infrastructure in Odisha, a woman delivered a baby on the roadside today in Tamkashila village of Kalyansinghpur in Rayagada district.

According to sources, the woman was being carried on a sling by her husband to the community health centre. The couple had already covered 10 kms in inclement weather, when the woman complained of pain and delivered a baby girl near Jambuguda Chowk in Nuasahi.

"Despite making multiple calls to 108 ambulance service, there was no response. That's why I carried my wife on a sling and the baby was delivered while we were on the way to the health centre," said the woman's husband, Bok Kadraka.

Later, after getting information, medical authorities sent a vehicle to the spot.

Doctor Chinmaya Lima of Kalyansinghpur community health centre said, "After the ambulance could not reach the spot on time, we sent a vehicle from medical centre to bring the mother and the child to the hospital. Both of them are in good condition now."