UP: In absence of ambulance, woman delivers baby in horse cart

Bareilly: A pregnant woman in Uttar Pradesh, whose family members brought her to a community heath centre (CHC) in Meerganj area in a horse cart as they could not access an ambulance, had to deliver her child inside the carriage.

Although an ambulance was allegedly not available in Bareilly's Meerganj area, the CHC staff assisted in the delivery in the horse cart. The 28-year-old Premwati had no option but to deliver her baby in the horse cart, as she was in too much pain and there was not enough time to shift her to the hospital.

"In the absence of an ambulance, we put her in a horse cart after she complained of pain at 5am. On reaching the hospital, we learned that ASHA workers were on strike, but the hospital staff was available. As there was no time to shift the woman into the hospital, the delivery of the baby was carried out in the cart itself by the hospital staff," Premwati's elder sister Shanti said.

In rural areas, ASHA or Accredited social health activists – community health workers instituted by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare – usually accompanies pregnant women to the hospital at the time of delivery.

However, ASHA workers were not available on Sunday as they were on indefinite strike against the state government’s alleged ignorance towards their demands for wage hike and regularisation of their service.

Meanwhile, the Bareilly administration has ordered a magisterial inquiry to probe the allegation of medical negligence. Responding to the allegations, a doctor in-charge of the CHC in Meerganj said Premwati would have been provided ambulance after contacting the medical helpline numbers – 102/108.