A pregnant woman of one of the interior areas under Gurundia block of Sundargarh district was lifted on a stretcher by her family members and villagers for about five km to a PHC on Friday, where she delivered a female child during evening.
Both the mother and child were stable. Significantly, a health worker (female) of the locality had arrived on the spot to arrange delivery and had played a key role in motivating the family members of the locals to lift the patients on their shoulder to the hospital. The incident once again exposed the plight of the locals of inaccessible areas.
Sources said Taldihi village under Gurundia block of Sundargarh district, about 75km from here, but covered with forest and hill is one of the inaccessible areas of the district. Karamela Kerketa (28), wife of David Kerketa of the village, had complained of labour pain on Friday morning, following which David had attempted to contact the PHC, Solo. That area being an inaccessible area, health worker (female) Mamata Senapati had reached the village, walking down about five km. Mamata reportedly had attempted to organise delivery of Karamela, but was not successful. Mamata had advised the family members to rush her to the PHC, so that the delivery can be organised there. Since the distance of PHC is about five km from the village, the family members of Karamela were initially reluctant to carry her in a stretcher. But Mamata reportedly had persuaded the family members and villagers, explaining them about the criticality of the patients.
While carrying Karmela on a stretcher, the stretcher bearers crossed a small river named Kurtinia and after reaching at PHC, she safely delivered a girl child. Significantly, in the PHC also there were no doctors and it is health worker Mamata Senapati along with other staff who managed the delivery.
Sundargarh CDMO Uday Bhanu Das said, "Stretchers have also been provided in inaccessible areas of the district to carry patients to motorable points, from where ambulance can pick them up."