Bhabanipatna: A pregnant woman gave birth to a baby girl on a tractor after an ambulance reportedly failed to reach her village due to the absence of a pucca road in a remote area of Odisha’s Kalahandi district.
The incident took place at Dabirighati village under Anlabhata panchayat in Jayapatna block.
The pregnant woman, identified as Urmila Majhi, went into labour late Sunday night, following which her family informed the ambulance service. However, the ambulance could not reach the village because of the lack of a motorable road and waited at Chacharaguda village, sources said.
Family members and villagers then transported the pregnant woman on a tractor for nearly 10 km. She delivered the baby girl on the way before reaching the ambulance, the sources added.
The mother and newborn were later taken by ambulance from Chacharaguda to Maidalpur Medical. As Urmila was suffering from anaemia and malaria, both were subsequently shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital in Nabarangpur, the source informed.
Although the village is located in Kalahandi district, residents of the border area depend on Nabarangpur district for healthcare services. Villagers have demanded that the government and administration provide a pucca road and improve healthcare services at the earliest.
