Highlights
- Sumathi Murukan, the pregnant woman, was scheduled to deliver her baby next week, but she went into early labour on the intervening night of Saturday-Sunday.
- Sumathi’s relatives took her on a temporary stretcher and walked through the forest area to the main road. From there, Sumathi was taken to the hospital in an ambulance.
- Tribal affairs minister K Radhakrishnan said he has sought a report from concerned officials.
A pregnant tribal woman in Kerala had to take an arduous trip to the hospital in a makeshift stretcher made of cloth sling for three-and-a-half kilometres since the ambulance couldn’t reach her village due to damaged roads.
It was only after she reached the main road that ambulance services could be provided to her. The incident occurred at Attapadi Taluk in Kerala’s Palakkad area, ANI reported.
Woman went into early labour
Sumathi Murukan, the pregnant woman, was scheduled to deliver her baby next week, but she went into early labour on the intervening night of Saturday-Sunday.
At midnight, Sumathi started showing symptoms of giving birth and called for an ambulance from Kottathara Tribal Speciality Hospital to her Tribal village of Kadukumanna.
However, since the road was damaged, the ambulance could only reach the main road, three-and-a-half kilometres away.
Mother, child in stable condition
Sumathi’s relatives took her on a temporary stretcher and walked through the forest area to the main road. From there, Sumathi was taken to the hospital in an ambulance.
The ambulance, which arrived later, took the pregnant tribal woman to the hospital. After reaching the hospital, Sumati gave birth to a boy. Both the mother and the child are reportedly in stable condition.
Probe Ordered
“The incident brought enough shame to the state. Sheer luck and grit of local people saved two lives. The government should ensure road, power and travel facilities to people like her,” Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala told Hindustan Times.
Tribal affairs minister K Radhakrishnan said he has sought a report from concerned officials.
Similar incident from Meghalaya
A similar incident from Meghalaya was brought to light in September this year when a video of the woman being carried on a makeshift stretcher went viral on social media.
Unable to get an ambulance or a vehicle, a 36-week pregnant woman in the northeastern state’s Ri-Bhoi district was carried on a makeshift bamboo stretcher for five kilometres to a hospital.
As per a PTI report, the woman with high blood pressure struggled with labour pain but made it to the health centre on time.
Upon reaching the hospital, the woman delivered a baby girl weighing over four kilograms. Both mother and the baby were reported to be in fine condition.
