Odisha woman delivers baby on trolley rickshaw after failing to get ambulance

The woman went into labour last evening. Despite several attempts her family failed to arrange an ambulance to take her to the hospital. Her family made her board a trolley rickshaw and on her way she gave birth to a baby girl.

Balasore:A woman gave birth to a baby on a trolley rickshaw after failing to get an ambulance to reach the hospital on Sunday. The incident, which was reported from a village in Nilagiri block in Odisha's Balasore district, has once again brought the 108 and Janani Express ambulance service under the scanner.

Ranjita Gochayat, wife of Hemant Kuanra and a resident of Dahisahi village in Sajnagarh panchayat had gone to her parent's house in Ranikothi village in Nilagiri area on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan. At around 8 pm, Ranjita suddenly started complaining of labour pain. Her family members contacted 108 ambulance service to take her to the hospital. But no ambulance was available at that time.

They kept calling up the ambulance service and tried looking for some other vehicle to take her to the hospital. Finally, failing to arrange any other mode of transportation, Ranjita's family made her lie down on a trolley rickshaw and started driving it to the nearby hospital. "We were on the way to the hospital when Ranjita gave birth to a baby girl on the trolley rickshaw itself. Both the mother and baby are currently admitted at the Nilagiri Government Hospital," Ranjita's relative said.

The incident has raised serious questions on the much-publicised Janani Express and 108 ambulance service. The Odisha government has been adding more vehicles to its 108 emergency ambulance service fleet and Janani Express for transportation of pregnant women and sick infants so as to improve response time and cut down the waiting time due to non availability of the service.