RAYAGADA:An ASHA worker of Rayagada district saved the life of a pregnant woman on Saturday by donating blood. Urmila Khosla (25) of Anuguda village under Kolnara block went into labour on Saturday morning and local ASHA worker Sumitra Karkaria brought her to the District Headquarters Hospital.
However, at the hospital, doctors found out that haemoglobin level of Urmila was extremely low and asked the ASHA worker and her relatives to arrange four units of A+ blood. Sumitra rushed to the blood bank but found that there was no stock of A+ blood. With no other way out, she decided to donate one unit of blood while Urmila’s relatives donated the rest three.
Later, the woman delivered a baby boy. The newborn, being underweight at 1.7 kg, has been admitted to Special New Born Care Unit (SNCU).
Sumitra said Urmila had shifted to her mother’s house at Anuguda three months back from her in-law’s house at Dashmantapur in Koraput district. She was registered under Mamata scheme in Koraput. “It was my duty to save the life of both the mother and the child,” the ASHA worker said. Her effort has been appreciated by the staff of the District Headquarters Hospital.