Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
A pregnant woman in a remote tribal habitation of Telangana’s Kumuram Bheem Asifabad district had to be carried on a bullock cart to a waiting ambulance after the emergency vehicle was unable to reach her village due to a muddy, rain-hit road.
Karishma went into labour on Saturday. Her family immediately called the 108 emergency ambulance service, but the vehicle could not negotiate the final stretch to the habitation because the approach road had become muddy and difficult to cross during the monsoon. The ambulance managed to reach Marepalli but could go no further.
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With Karishma in labour and no other way to get her to the ambulance, family members and villagers arranged a bullock cart and transported her through the difficult stretch to the point where the ambulance was stranded.
She was then taken to Wankidi Government Hospital, where she delivered a baby girl. Both the mother and newborn were reported to be safe.
MONSOON TURNS ROADS INTO BARRIERS
The incident has once again highlighted the difficulties faced by residents of remote tribal habitations in accessing emergency healthcare, particularly during the monsoon.
Residents have reportedly said that rain leaves stretches of the road covered in mud, making it difficult or impossible for ambulances, autos and other vehicles to navigate. In medical emergencies, families are consequently forced to depend on bullock carts, makeshift stretchers or other improvised means to reach motorable roads.
The latest case also comes weeks after a similar incident in the district.
In August, a seven-month-pregnant tribal woman, Kodapa Rameshwari from another village, was carried on a makeshift stretcher across a swollen stream after heavy rain cut off road access to the habitation.
She was eventually taken to a health centre and later referred to Asifabad for further treatment.
The repeated incidents have raised questions over road connectivity and access to timely emergency medical services in remote tribal areas of the district, where the monsoon can leave habitations effectively cut off from essential services.
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
