BHUBANESWAR: As cyclone Hud Hud shrouded South Odisha districts in darkness, dread and disquiet, there were some extraordinary moments of hope and jubilation in the midst of turmoil.
More than 200 babies were born on Sunday even as the storm raged across eight districts. All the deliveries have been conducted safely without any report of any untoward incident from the cyclone affected zone, a credit duly deserved by the Health Department. The department was not only alert but also successful in shifting the pregnant women to hospitals in time.
Around 397 women in most advanced stages of pregnancy and those with high risk from the districts were shifted to hospitals of whom over 200 gave birth on Sunday. As many as 102 pregnant women were shifted from Koraput, 49 from Malkangiri, 31 from Nabarangpur, 25 from Kalahandi, 22 from Ganjam, 37 from Gajapati, 58 from Kandhamal and 66 from Rayagada.
The birth data, as per reports received by Monday evening, is 34 in Koraput, five in Malkangiri, over 25 in Nabrangpur, seven in Rayagada, around 20 in Kalahandi and Ganjam, 25 in Kandhamal and 29 in Gajapati.
The most heartening fact has been that a substantial chunk of the deliveries has been through Caesarean Section (CS) surgery. While comprehensive reports on the number is still awaited, in Gajapati district alone there have been 20 CS operations of the total 29 deliveries. All the babies and their mothers are doing fine.
According to Director, Public Health, Dr Kailash Das, the success is attributed to proper planning and shifting of the high risk pregnant women and immediately expecting women from the impact zone to the safe custody of hospitals. The women to be moved were identified from the available village-wise pregnancy lists and were taken a day before the cyclone.
“Expecting mothers with dates within two weeks and high risk pregnancies were shifted.
They were put in care at the community health centres, area hospitals and district headquarters hospital, where delivery rooms had been readied with adequate facilities and generator sets for uninterrupted power supply. The result has been overwhelming considering the huge success of Caesarean which helped save lives of mothers and babies,” Dr Das said
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