Woman gives birth on road as ambulance fails to reach on time

Rayagada: Exposing the sorry state of the health sector in Odisha, an expectant mother delivered a baby on the roadside as ambulance reportedly failed to respond to the emergency call on time at Kalyansinghpur in Rayagada district.

According to reports, the woman had developed labour pain late on Saturday night and it was only at around 5 am on Sunday that the family members had contacted the ambulance.

However, as no ambulance attached with Kalyansinghpur Community Health Centre was available, another vehicle from Kolnara was requisitioned which was nearly 50 kms away from the spot.

By the time ambulance reached the spot, the woman had already delivered a girl child on the roadside with assistance from a local ASHA worker.

"As both the mother and child were shivering, we had to make provisions for fire to protect them from intense cold," said a family member.

Later both the mother and her baby were taken to the Kalyansinghpur CHC and their condition is said to be stable after preliminary treatment.