Carried on makeshift stretcher, Maha tribal woman goes into labour on the way, loses her child

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Palghar, Aug 16:
A
26-year-old
pregnant
tribal
woman
was
carried
in
a
makeshift
stretcher
due
to
lack
of
a
proper
road
in
a
village
in
Maharashtra’s
Palghar
district,
and
lost
her
twin
infants
at
birth
as
a
result
of
the
delay
in
reaching
a
medical
centre.

The
incident
took
place
on
Monday,
when
the
woman,
who
was
seven
months
pregnant,
went
into
labour
prematurely
and
was
carried
3
km
to
the
main
road
from
Markatwadi
village
in
Mokhada
taluka
amid
heavy
rains,
a
doctor
said
on
Tuesday.

The
woman
was
later
brought
to
the
Khodala
PHC
in
an
ambulance
from
the
main
road.
She
delivered
twins,
who
died
at
birth,
Dr
Pushpa
Mathure
of
the
medical
facility
said.

If
there
had
been
a
proper
road,
the
woman
could
have
received
medical
attention
sooner
and
the
babies
could
have
been
saved,
she
said,
adding
that
the
woman’s
health
is
stable.

30
week
pregnant
minor
rape
victim
gets
HC
nod
for
abortion

Patients
are
often
brought
to
the
main
road
in
makeshift
stretchers
made
of
a
saree
or
cloth
tied
to
a
long
bamboo
stick
from
remote
villages,
where
ambulances
cannot
reach
due
to
lack
of
proper
roads,
it
was
stated.

“We
usually
shift
women
who
are
in
the
eighth
or
ninth
month
of
pregnancy
from
remote
villages
to
the
PHC
for
delivery,”
the
doctor
said.

In
light
of
several
instances
of
patients
being
transported
in
makeshift
stretchers
in
the
absence
of
roads,
district
collector
Govind
Bodke
had
last
week
visited
the
area
and
directed
the
concerned
officials
to
begin
road
construction.