SRINAGAR: With the roads closed due to heavy snowfall and airlifting not possible due to inclement weather, the doctors in the snow-covered area close to the Line of Control (LoC) in the Keran sector of Jammu and Kashmir inspired by the Bollywood movie 3-Idiots, helped a pregnant woman deliver a baby through Whatsapp audio call.
Block Medical Officer (BMO) Kralpora Dr Mir Shafi told The New Indian Express that a pregnant woman from the remote Kallas village of Keran complained of labour pain on Friday and was taken by her family members to Primary Health Centre (PHC) Keran, close to LoC.
The upper reaches of Valley including Keran had received heavy snowfall during the night and it was also intermittently snowing during the day. All the roads connecting PHC Keran with the nearest health facility at Kralapora, which was about 45 kilometres, were closed due to the accumulation of snow on the roads. It was her second issue. The woman had suffered complications during the birth of her first child.
The BMO said after the woman in labour visited the health facility in Keran, her vital components were checked by a doctor there and her BP was found to be on the higher side. “In such a situation, the patient needs to be shifted to a hospital, where all facilities including blood transfusion, etc are available,” he said.
Dr Mir said since the woman had gone into labour, it was impossible to evacuate her to a nearby hospital due to the accumulation of snow on the roads. “Besides, airlifting of the patient was also not possible due to inclement weather.”
The BMO came up with the idea inspired by the Aamir Khan starrer Bollywood movie 3-Idiots for an alternative safe delivery method. “It somehow clicked in my mind that we should go for her delivery process without wasting any time by using Information Technology.
The health facility, where the woman was admitted, had got a VSAT. It is there for connectivity among the doctors and paramedical staff because the area has poor mobile connectivity. The doctors and paramedical staff remain in touch through the internet,” Dr Mir said.
He said he called the gynaecologist of Sub District Hospital (SDH) Kralapora, Dr Parvez and told him that a pregnant woman has gone into labour in Gurez and the delivery process has to be conducted via Whatsapp call as this was an emergency as the patient can neither be brought to the hospital on road nor airlifted. “The delivery process went on smoothly. A baby girl was successfully delivered,” the BMO said.