VIZIANAGARAM: A tribal pregnant woman, who was being carried in a makeshift stretcher (dholi) to a nearby plain area around 11 kilometres away, delivered her baby in foggy weather conditions in the S Kota mandal of Vizianagaram district in the wee hours of Wednesday. The incident exposes the neglect and lack of access to proper transport and medical facilities in agency areas for tribals.
The woman and her newborn were later rushed to a hospital where their condition is said to be stable.
According to information reaching here, K Chinnalamma of Porlu village started having labour pains on Wednesday morning. Doctors had earlier given January 15 as the expected date of delivery. Her family decided to shift her to the hospital. With no proper road connectivity for the ambulance to reach the village, they made a makeshift stretcher to shift her.
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Before her family members could reach the plain area where a 108 ambulance was ready to shift the pregnant woman, Chinnalamma started having labour pains and with the assistance of the women accompanying her, she delivered a baby girl on the way to the hospital.
"We had carried her for nine kilometres in less than an hour when she delivered,'' a family member said, adding that the weather conditions were chilly and foggy when the baby was delivered.
Chinnalamma and her baby had to be taken in the dholi for nearly two more kilometres before they could get medical assistance from the 108 staff.
From there she was shifted to the S Kota government hospital where she was treated. Both the mother and infant are safe, the family members said.
Tribals said these kind of incidents are becoming common in the agency areas as there was no road connectivity or proper medical facilities.