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AP: No Road, Woman Carried On A Makeshift Stretcher For 12 Km After Miscarriage
2 Aug 2018 12:52 PM GMT
A 25-year-old tribal woman from Vizianagaram district, Andhra Pradesh, suffering excessive bleeding due to a miscarriage was carried by the villagers with the help of ASHA and Auxiliary Nurse Midwives who took her in doli or a makeshift stretcher. As reported by NDTV, the “stretcher” was crafted from a bamboo pole, saree and cane basket. The villagers undertook a 12 km trek downhill to reach the nearest hospital in Parvathipuram area.
Tribal woman carried on makeshift stretcher
A 12-km trek downhill on makeshift stretcher for 25-year-old pregnant woman in #Vizianagaram #AP to reach ambulance proved costly for her preterm baby boy who passed away; bleeding mother shifted to ITDA hospital; no road connectivity to 15 tribal hamlets @ndtv @tweetsreekanth_ pic.twitter.com/V8Gv1rVks7
— Uma Sudhir (@umasudhir) July 31, 2018
When The Logical Indian spoke to Vizianagaram District Medical Health Officer (DMHO), Dr Vijayalakshmi, she said that the woman was six-seven months pregnant with her third child. However, she underwent a premature delivery at home, wherein the placenta could not be removed, because of which she had excessive bleeding. The baby is said to have died during delivery. The woman belongs to a hamlet named Siravara in Vizianagaram district, way to which passes through a hilly terrain which does not have a motorable path.
“Before leaving from their village the villagers called on 108. When they came downhill, an ambulance was stationed which took the woman to a nearby hospital in Parvathipuram area. She is anaemic and underwent excessive blood loss. The doctors removed the placenta manually and have administered antibiotics. Her condition is better, but she will be kept in the hospital for ten more days”, Dr Vijayalakshmi said.
Commenting on her condition, Ushashri Garikipati, the District Coordinator Hospital Services, Vizianagaram said, “She is anaemic and there was excessive blood loss so she was given four-five units of blood. Doctors and other hospital staff are administering requisite nutrients to her. She will be in the hospital for another 10 days, after which will discharge her with drug support for a month.”
Poor connectivity to hospitals
It is to be noted that Andhra Pradesh government has recently started feeder or bike ambulance services for areas like these. Out of the total 122 feeder ambulances, 24 were allocated to the Parvathipuram Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) area. However, the path leading to Siravara is said to be not motorable. “The path is through a hilly terrain, ever these feeder ambulances cannot reach that area. It is because of which we advise pregnant ladies to get admitted to a hospital beforehand. However, this was a case of premature birth”, said Dr Vijayalakshmi.
The DMHO also had a meeting with the doctors to discuss this issue. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued a notice to the Chief Secretary, Andhra Pradesh government and has asked for a detailed report within four weeks.
“We have sanctions for 440 roads over 776 km long at a cost of Rs. 219 crore in the Vizianagaram tribal area but this is pending because we need more funds for machine cutting,” the project officer for Integrated Tribal Development Authority told NDTV.
Poor accessibility to secondary medical care
This is not the first time that people have gravely suffered due to poor connectivity to hospitals and medical health centers. There have been various reports of people carrying their kin using makeshift stretchers or by cycle/bike due to poor connectivity and accessibility. Notably, there is a scheme specifically targeted at the poor pregnant women, called the Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY), launched in 2005. It is a government project which seeks to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality by promoting institutional delivery. However, the last-mile service delivery has still a lot of scope for improvement.
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