KOPPAL: In a span of one week, as many as four incidents of pregnant women delivering their newborn babies inside moving ambulances have come to light from different parts of the Koppal district.
While the district health department sees it as a normal development, several villagers in Koppal blame it on the bumpy roads. The roads in the Nirgutagi and Chikkadi villages of Kanakagiri Taluk are in the worst condition for several months. Despite several requests to the authorities, the roads have not been fixed.
Locals point out that even with the monsoon season fast approaching, several roads, which had gone bad, have not been repaired across the district.
"There are large potholes in the middle of the road and commuters go through tough times during monsoons. With the monsoon season nearing, the condition of roads has not changed. Deliveries were reported inside ambulances in the last week," blamed a villager from Chikkadi.
"The district witnesses flood during monsoon especially when the dam waters are released. During monsoons commuting on poor-quality roads is a risky affair. The administration should take up temporary repair work on the stretches which are in need of attention," the villager added.
Meanwhile, senior officials from the district health department do not approve of "poor road conditions" as the reason behind multiple incidents of deliveries taking place inside the ambulances.
"Many times the patients, especially carrying mothers, call for an ambulance at the last minute instead of getting admitted in time. Sometimes there are early labour pains and the family will not have any choice but to call for an ambulance. Thankfully the ambulance staff is trained to handle such situations and it's common to have babies delivered in ambulances," said an official.
"During emergency situations, elderly women in the villagers also accompany them carrying mothers. In case of labour pain their presence will be helpful for smooth delivery," the official added.