Women of Sunabeda plateau in Nuapada district are not getting ambulance services for institutional delivery. According to villagers, the ambulance, which was providing services to the people, especially the pregnant women, has stopped coming to the plateau for last one year.
“We have been requesting the health officials for resuming the service, but they are not listening,” complained the villagers.
The people try to contact the 102 and 108 services whenever there is a need, but it is learnt that these vehicles even deny services stating presence of Maoists and undulating ghat road as the reason.
Gayatri Majhi of Sunabeda village was denied ambulance service on June 24 last when she wanted to be admitted in the Community Health Centre at Komna for institutional delivery. The driver of the 102 (Janani Surakshya vehicle) advised the relatives of Gayatri to take her to a village, down the hill in a motor bike.
“The behaviours of these service providers are peculiar; they ask us why we are residing in a hilly region,” say the people. “The CHC is located at a distance of more than 50 km from Sunabeda and it is impossible for a pregnant woman to go such a long distance in motor cycle,” said Tuna Chhatria, a local tribal youth. Gayatri delivered child in her house with the help of the ASHA and a pharmacist.
Anusaya Jhankar considers her lucky. The 102 ambulance driver reached the village after a lot of dilly- dallying. But he told the people to take the woman in a bike to the downhill village Barkot, which is about 30 km from Sunabeda.
“The ambulance had been withdrawn from Sunabeda earlier, but was resumed again. It was available for about two and a half years after that,” the villagers said. “We are glad that the pharmacist is staying here now for last three to four months due to regular media coverage on health problems of our area,” they added.
When CDMO Jagadish Mahanand was asked about the ambulance, he said the vehicle was not running for last 3 to 4 months as the driver had left the job. “We are in search of a driver to resume the service. However, whenever the villagers arrive in the hospitals with a pregnant lady for institutional delivery, we pay the transport cost,” he explained.