Ratnagiri: A pregnant woman was ferried in a trolley rickshaw after an ambulance failed to turn up at her residence to take her to the hospital at Bainsiria panchayat under Bari block in Jajpur district, Wednesday.
The unfortunate woman was identified as Kanaklata Majhi, 35, in the panchayat. She experienced labour pain in the morning when her family members rang up 104 and 108 free ambulance services to ferry her to the Bari community health centre (CHC). However, the ambulance did not turn up at her residence nor called them back to inform about its unavailability despite waiting for a long period.
Left with no option, her family members lifted her on a trolley rickshaw to ferry her to the hospital with her labour pain only getting worse with time.
They were nearing the Baliapal high school when they noticed an ambulance passing by that way and with its help shifted her to the Bari CHC. There with the help of Dr Jinat Das who was then on-duty, the woman delivered a baby boy.
The newborn weighing only 3.1 kg was found in critical condition following which the doctor referred them for further treatment to the Jajpur headquarters hospital.
However, the CHC authorities forced the woman’s family members to submit an undertaking absolving the former of all responsibilities if something wrong happens to the newborn or the woman. This was later admitted by Dr Koushik Patra, medical officer of the CHC. The incident comes days after two persons were identified as corona positives in the panchayat.
MAMATA YOJANA GOES FOR A TOSS
The incident has brought chinks in the healthcare delivery system under Mamata Yojana in the panchayat. It was found that the woman had not undergone regular health check-ups or ultrasound examinations from the time of her pregnancy till delivery of the child.
The ASHA and Anganwadi workers in the panchayat have not even registered her name under state-sponsored Mamata Yojana nor have entered her health details in the registers from time to time.
When contacted, the chief district medical officer (CDMO) Dr Sudhanshu Sekhar Bal assured to look into the matter while stating that all the medical officers of CHCs have been directed to provide vehicles on hire to the patients if no ambulance is available under their supervision in their hospitals.
PNN