Though the Fire Services department personnel were no less than ‘messiah’ for pregnant woman, Basanti Mohanty of Mundasahi, the scenes of shifting her from one end to the other in such precaurious condition is enough to send chill down the bone. Such an operation over Samakoi river was executed to shift Basanti to Telkoi hospital.
However, Basanti was later shifted to Keonjhar after her condition deteriorated. Due to absence of proper road connectivity and bridges over small rivulets and nullahs have now become concern not only for the inhabitants in Keonjhar but also for the local residents in different parts of the state.
Such miseries of people usually compound during the monsoon season as several risks their lives to cross swelling rivers and nullahs every year. The district administration officials could not be contacted over the matter.
Miseries From Dhenkanal
The relatives of another lady patient in Kankadahad block in Dhenkanal district had also struggled to shift her on a stretcher due to absence of proper road connectivity. The patient Sanju’s relatives at Ekul village had to cross two nullahs before she was shifted to the hospital in an ambulance.
Not only the residents of Ekul village, people in Sekul, Putipal and Kota villages also face numerous problems due to absence of proper road infrastructure. These areas are located close to Dhenkanal, Jajpur and Keonjhar districts. However, the residents have a harrowing time during three to four months of the monsoon season every year.
“We do not know what proper road connectivity means. Only after my wife reached hospital, I took a sigh of relief,” said Sanju’s husband. Jyotishankar Sahu, Kamakhyanagar Sub-Collector, on the other hand, said, “When there is a heavy rain, there is waterlogging for some time due to the stream. I have no detail information about the particular incident. However, there is a proposal to construct a culvert.” Scenes
No Different In Kandhamal…
Come rainy season, the Gambhari river compounds the miseries for the residents of Adimaha panchayat in Kandhamal district. Be it locals or the students, everybody has to cross the river in dangerous conditions. Though there in an alternate road, but it will make them to travel 30 kms which is another area of concern.
With no other viable option, the residents depend on crossing the Gambhari river to go to Baliguda and Mahasing areas.
“During rainy season, our miseries increase. It is now for the last 70 years that I have been crossing the river this way to travel to Baliguda,” said a local resident.
“We have to cross the river to go to school. If we take the main road, we have to cover around 30 kms,” said a student.
The local residents allege that despite assurances by the elected representatives, no step has been taken for the construction of a bridge over the river here.
According to reports, a local of Gudikhula who was suffering from high fever required an ambulance to carry him to the hospital.
Even as his family members called up for an 108 ambulance, it could not reach the patient owing to lack of motorable roads to the village.
With no options left the family members along with some villagers placed the patient on a cot and walked for more than 2kms to reach the ambulance.
"This is not the first time as even expectant mothers and serious patients were carried on cot previously. The ambulance could not reach the village due to poor roads so we carried my son to the ambulance stationed far from the village," said Jalandhar, father of the patient.
Locals complain that the village is surrounded by dense forest and there is no source of communication nor any pucca roads to the village which has been the main concern for them in times of emergency such as this. There are as many as 200 residents in the village.
Earlier on Friday, two such incidents were reported from Mayurbhanj and Malkangiri districts. In last one month several other incidents were also witnessed in other parts of Odisha.
As per reports, a woman of the village complained of labour pain early morning today following which the family members contacted 102 ambulance.
However, the ambulance couldn’t reach the patient owing to lack of motorable roads to her village and had to wait beyond the river nearby the village.
With no options left, the family members with the help of some villagers placed the lady on a cot and walked for nearly a km to the ambulance. They even had to cross the river.
Later the woman was rushed to the Bangiriposhi Hospital where her condition is stated to be stable.
In another incident, a woman's dead body was also carried on a cart after an ambulance failed to arrive at her residence in Malkangiri.
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Sources said, a woman of Srihari colony in Chitrakonda died today morning and her family members sought help of an ambulance to carry her dead body to autopsy centre but as the vehicle did not arrive, they had to carry her on a cart.
Meanwhile, responding to the news, former MP Jay Panda sought attention of the authorities in the matter.
"The mental & physical trauma that women face during pregnancy combined with apathy & callousness of the authorities is what can be observed here. We can't be oblivious to the rights & dignity of our citizens," Panda wrote in his twitter post.
According to reports, Subai Nirikiyanka of Karikon village under Narayanpatna block in the district underwent labour pain following which her family members decided to take her to Narayanpatna community health centre (CHC).
Though the family members called an ambulance, it stopped some 3kms away from the village due to absence of motorable road . As Subai's condition continued to deteriorate, her family members with the help of some villagers carried the woman on a cot and walked for 2kms and then crossed the river to reach the ambulance.
"There is no motorable road to five villages in the block. Though this problem has been existing for years, nothing has been done in this regard," said Subai's relative Kundariya Trinath.
"We have to cross the river to reach the other side. During rainy season, life becomes very difficult because of lack of adequate transport accessibility," said Revati Kundariya, another relative of Subai.
Responding to the matter Rudra Prasad Bagh, Medical Officer of Narayanpatna CHC said, "After being informed, we immediately sent the ambulance to the village. Due to poor road condition the woman was carried on a cot and later brought to the health centre in the ambulance. Currently her condition is stated to be stable."
The woman had to be carried on a cot for 8 kms as ambulance failed to reach her due to absence of motorable road in the village, sources said.
As per reports, one Padmini Muduli of the village complained of labour pain in the morning today forcing her family members to seek immediate medical attention. Though they called an ambulance, it halted some 8 kms away due to non-motorable road in the village.
As Padmini's condition continued to deteriorate, her family members then decided to carry her to the ambulance on a cot. Later, Padmini reportedly delivered a baby girl in the ambulance on the way to Orkel hospital at Balimela in the district.
"We have to cover a distance of 15kms to reach Balimela healthcare centre. Due to absence of motorable road, we fail to avail ambulance services. In many cases patients die before reaching the hospital," alleged a local.
In a similar instance, one Moti Hantal of the same village delivered a baby boy while she was being carried on a cot to reach the ambulance waiting several kilometers away from the village yesterday.
Sources said the family members of the woman called up 108 ambulance service when she suddenly fell ill. The ambulance, which was one kilometre away from the house, could not come to the place due to poor condition of the road.
Later, the family members carried the woman to the ambulance on a cot. She was first admitted to Khaira health centre, where doctors reffered her to the SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack as her condition further deteriorated.
However, the woman died on her way to the hospital.
Bama Sika had to cover a distance of 5 kms on foot to rush his sister Kuni of Parsali panchayat to Kalyansinghpur community health center (CHC) on Saturday.
According to reports, Bama’s sister Kuni of Parsali panchayat had fallen sick while she had gone to harvest crops in the forest. With no other option available at his disposal, Bama carried Kuni in his arms, crossed a river and later managed to seek an auto-rickshaw to shift her to the CHC.
“Only after covering nearly 5 kms on foot, I managed to get an auto-rickshaw to shift my sister to the hospital,” said Bama.
Soumyaranjan Jena, CHC doctor stated that the patient was immediately attended.
“We had conducted malaria test and the patient was diagnosed negative. We have admitted the patient and she is being provided with necessary treatment,” said Jena.
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According to sources, Purnami Dangua of Luhajala village under Bansapal block in the district suffered labour pain and called for an 108 ambulance but the vehicle could not turn up due to absence of good road to the village.
Failing to get any other source, Purnami's kin carried her on an wooden basket fitted to a sling for nearly three km.
After reaching Marasuan, the nearest motorable road, the ambulance picked her up and she was admitted to Bansapal hospital.
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.