Tribal Tradition Endangers Pregnant Woman’s Life in Madhya Pradesh

Bhopal: An age-old tribal tradition has threatened the life of a pregnant woman in a village in Damoh district in Madhya Pradesh.

A tribal woman in the village of Amjhore under Madiyado panchayat, had shunned doctor, medical treatment and medicines under the tradition, called in local parlance ‘Vandish’, through her pregnancy, to be ‘blessed’ with a son.

There is a belief among the local tribals that a pregnant woman needs to embrace ‘Vandish’ during which she has to keep herself away from doctors and medical treatment and medicines, if she wants to deliver a baby boy.

The health workers of the panchayat had alerted the local block medical officer (BMO) about the pregnant woman Kamlesarani Adivasi (38) after learning that her condition was worsening due to her denial to medical treatment.

Following this, the local BMO Uma Shankar Patel sent a medical team to the village to examine her and admit her to the district hospital.

“We had been persuading her to go for a health examination routinely in a hospital. But, she had refused to heed to our advice saying that she was under ‘Vandish’ (tradition)”, local health supervisor Manisha Ahirwar said.

“After much persuasion by the medical team, the woman agreed to be admitted to the district hospital at Damoh”, the BMO said.

According to Dr Geetanjali Seedam in the district hospital, her haemoglobin level was dangerously low at 3.6 (against the normal level of 12-16 for a pregnant woman) when she was admitted to the hospital.

It could have been proved fatal for both mother and unborn baby had she not been admitted to the hospital at the right time, she said.

The woman was given blood immediately after she was admitted to the hospital and gave birth to a baby boy the next day on Thursday.

The woman has four daughters.

She desperately wanted a son this time and hence, she had taken to the superstitious practice of ‘Vandish’, the health workers said.

“The ‘Vandish’ practice is prevalent among the tribals in the area and we are going to launch an awareness campaign very soon to motivate the tribals to shun it”, the BMO said.