Expectant mothers suffer again due to poor road connectivity

Bhubaneswar: Despite various welfare schemes, reports of expectant mothers being carried on shoulders to hospitals and delivering midway have now become a regular feature owing to absence of road connectivity in several parts in Odisha.

The benefits of such welfare schemes fail to reach beneficiaries on the ground which was again evident from three different incidents reported from Nabarangpur, Balasore and Malkangiri district today.

In the first instance, a woman delivered a baby boy midway to hospital after ambulance failed to reach her due to absence of motorable road at Bagbeda village under Jharigaon village in Nabarangpur district.

According to reports, wife of Lacchara Santa of Bagbeda, Hunda developed labour pain late last night.Though the family members called an ambulance, the vehicle could not reach the village owing to heavy rain and lack of proper road.

Having no other alternative, Hunda's family members with the help of some villagers carried her in a cot tied to a sling early today. However, she delivered a baby boy midway.

Later, Hunda and her baby were shifted to Jharigaon hospital in an ambulance and their condition is said to be stable now.

In another incident, Mina Singh, an expectant mother delivered a baby girl while she was being carried on a cot from Pokharisahi village in Balasore district to nearby hospital after ambulance failed to reach the village due to poor road conditions.

Mina experience labour pain in the morning following which her family members informed 102 ambulances but it failed to turn up due to non-motorable road in the area.

Mina later delivered another girl while she was being shifted to Remuna Community Health Centre (CHC) in the ambulance.

In Malkangiri, a pregnant woman of Soriaguda village under Chitrakonda had to walk five kilometres to reach hospital. Though the incident occurred on August 22, the matter came to light today after the woman's plight was narrated by the family members.

Though the woman's family members had called up 102 ambulance, it failed to reach the patient due to unavailability of proper road to the village.

Later, the woman was made to walk for 5 kilometres to reach Maliguda. After crossing a canal in boat, the woman was then shifted to Chitrakonda hospital where she delivered a baby boy, reports said.