Baripada: Healthcare facilities continue to elude the common man in tribal-dominated Mayurbhanj district, as a pregnant woman delivered on roadside after failing to get an ambulance.
The matter came to light after Pramila Si of Nuagaon under Suliapada block, about 25 km from here, delivered on roadside at Khetrapatna Square on the town’s outskirts.
The incident has drawn flak from various quarters as Dr Pranab Shankar Dash, chief district medical officer (in-charge CDMO), assured to take steps to avoid repetition of the incident in future.
Pramila’s husband was carrying her on a bicycle to PRM Medical College and Hospital in Baripada as they could not get an ambulance. On the way, she experienced recurring labour pain and delivered on roadside.
This happened despite the fact the state government has taken various measures, including the establishment of a medical college and hospital in the district, for the benefit of residents.
However, a majority of the residents in the district are still deprived of basic healthcare facilities and struggle to reach a hospital in times of urgency.
The family members of the woman called for 102 and later 108 ambulance services after she experienced labour pain at night. However, the ambulance never turned up despite the family members waiting for it for long. Left with no option, her husband decided to carry her on his bicycle to the hospital.
She was on her way to the hospital when she could longer resist the pain and got down to deliver on roadside. With no one by their side, her husband left the woman and newborn and came to Baripada to arrange a vehicle.
The two were shivering in cold on the roadside when a former Zilla Parishad member Prakash Soren and social activist Lulu Khuntia, who were passing by, noticed them and got down from their vehicle to enquire.
Soren called a private ambulance and admitted the woman and newborn to PRM Medical College and Hospital. Their condition improved after treatment.
This incident followed health minister Pratap Jena’s visit to Baripada in August during which he attended a review meeting. At that time it was identified there were 329 villages without healthcare facilities.
Jena had announced launch of motorcycle (bike) ambulance services to provide better and easy healthcare facilities to pregnant women and infants.
At the meeting, health officials announced that 115 posts of doctors were lying vacant in the district against sanctioned posts of 336. Similarly, 526 posts of para-medical assistants were lying vacant.
However, the bike ambulance service is yet to take off. The CDMO said Rs 1000 will be provided to the woman as she travelled on her own to the hospital after failing to get an ambulance.
Critical Dongria woman ignored
Kalyansinghpur: Ambulances failing to enter remote villages due to bad road shape is not new in tribal-dominated Rayagada district. However, an ambulance vehicle ignoring a critical patient, who was being carried by locals in a sling, here Monday shocked many.
The incident only narrates the quality of healthcare facilities offered to the poor and needy, said passersby.
Paladi Sikka (50), a widow belonging to the Dongria Kondh of Lakhpadar village in Parsali panchayat sustained critical injuries after falling down on a ghat road while returning home with 35 kg of PDS rice on her head.
Locals rescued the woman and rushed her to Kalyansinghpur CHC in a sling for 15 km. She was administered first aid there and the doctors advised the attendant to take her to the district headquarters hospital. Failing to contact the government-run ambulance services, they again set out for Rayagada carrying Paladi in the sling.
On the way, they tried to stop a 108-ambulance seeing it pass by. However, the ambulance driver didn’t bother to take the critical patient to the destination and sped away. The response of the ambulance driver left many shocked. PNN
