Pregnant woman in Odisha carried on sling for nearly 5 km before availing ambulance

Cases of poor health infrastructure facilities in remote areas of the State forcing people to carry patients on slings and cots to hospitals refuse to end.
A pregnant woman of Lachhamipur village being carried by her family members. | Express Photo Services
A pregnant woman of Lachhamipur village being carried by her family members. | Express Photo Services

MALKANGIRI: Cases of poor health infrastructure facilities in remote areas of the State forcing people to carry patients on slings and cots to hospitals refuse to end.

A pregnant woman, Tula Khara of Lachhamipur village under Guntabeda panchayat limits in Chitrakonda block, was carried by her family members on a sling for nearly 5 km before availing an ambulance to reach a hospital.

According to reports, Tula complained of labour pain in the morning and her family members contacted 108 ambulance to shift her to a hospital, but the vehicle didn’t turn up due to poor connectivity to the village.

Her family members, with the support of ambulance staff, carried Tula on a sling for nearly 5  km to the place where the ambulance was waiting, said locals. She was rushed to Chitrakonda hospital, another 2 km, in the ambulance immediately. Tula was admitted in the hospital and her condition was stated to be stable.

On Thursday, a pregnant woman of Chaulagheri village under Bangiriposi block had to be carried on a cot to an ambulance, which was waiting on the other side of a brook near the village.

In this case too, the family members of pregnant woman Tumi Singh (22) contacted 102 ambulance. However, the vehicle could not reach the village due to lack of road connectivity.

They took her on a cot for 1 km where the ambulance was stationed. From there, she was shifted to Bangiriposi CHC and later to Pandit Raghunath Murmu Medical College and Hospital. A similar incident was reported on September 30 from the same village.

A bridge over the brook and motorable road are the long-standing demands of the villagers. But, it seems local MLA Sudam Marndi is yet to get a whiff of poor connectivity and initiate development measures.

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