ROURKELA: Healthcare delivery system in tribal-dominated Sundargarh district has come under scanner after a 30-year-old pregnant woman recently died hours after delivering a baby at home in a neglected pocket of Birmitrapur Municipality. Reportedly, there was no ASHA worker to assist and the ambulance failed to reach on time.
The incident took place at Patratoli of Talsara area under Ward 11 of the Birmitrapur Municipality on Tuesday late afternoon. Family sources shared that Draupadi Majhi delivered a healthy baby girl on Tuesday morning but few hours later, her condition started deteriorating. Draupadi’s sister-in-law Saraswati said they called an ambulance but the vehicle could not reach their house directly as there is no motorable road for 200 metres from their house. The only road can be accessed by foot through a farm field. By the time Draupadi was carried in cot towards the waiting ambulance, she died.
The Birmitrapur Community Health Centre is around three kilometres from Draupadi’s house. As per Health & Family Welfare (H&FW) department sources, it is the duty of ASHA workers concerned to regularly monitor pregnant women’s health and also ensure institutional delivery. But in Draupadi’s case, none of the ground-level health workers was there to assist her delivery.
Incidentally, since September 2020, the district has been spending a whopping sum from the District Mineral Foundation (DMF) under the independent Matrujyoti scheme for ante-natal care. Under the initiative, ASHAs or Anganwadi workers of areas concerned escort expecting mothers for ultra-sound and other routine check-ups to ensure early detection of pregnancy-related complications and extend necessary medical intervention.
Calling the incident unfortunate, chief district medical officer Dr SK Mishra said,” I have sought details to ascertain what went wrong and will ensure corrective measures to strengthen healthcare system and institutional delivery.