Udaipur: Despite incentives, institutional set-ups, ambulances and a band of Health workers, deliveries are no less a nightmare for pregnant women in Kotra block of Udaipur. Seeta, wife of Kanti Kapasiya, resident of Amba village, delivered a stillborn child on roadside two days back while she was being taken on a cycle to the nearest health centre.

Ironically, from her house, the hospital could be seen and her husband chose the 3 km long kutcha road to transport her, over 104 service available in the area, as the ambulance drives through 9 km to reach the hospital. The consequence was fatal as the woman suffered extreme labour pains and delivered a stillborn child on the roadside.

Similar is the story of Indira, wife of Mukesh Pargi, resident of Amba village, who was carried, earlier last week, in a sling almost midway until the family members spotted a jeep to transport her.

However, the woman delivered inside the vehicle itself, luckily both the mother and the child survived.

Such stories are often reported from the area which has ample health and medical facilities and infrastructural support, however, lack of awareness, slow mobilisation and no roads have made life miserable for the people here.

The population resides in scattered settlements in remote and hilly locations where transport facilities are not available and nearest Primary Health Centres are several kilometres away. As per the records, there are 5 Primary Health Centres (PHCs), 3 Community Health Centres (CHCs), 53 sub-centres and 236 Aanganbadis in the block. Every centre has a medical officer, while there are 46 auxiliary nurse midwife (ANMs) working in these centres. There are six ambulances including two 108 services for the area.

“Infrastructure is quite good as we have buildings and proper care facilities, however, there are no roads and so it takes several kilometres for ambulances to carry the patients. And therefore, people do not call the 104 or 108 for services and themselves carry the patients in a sling, bicycle, cot or whatever they can think of through shortcuts which are kutcha roads,” an AASHA worker said.

“Lack of awareness among the locals is a major problem. Seeta Kapasiya who delivered a stillborn, was brought to the CHC, however, her family took her away the same day from the centre without being officially discharged. We have given a notice to the medical officer concerned,” Dr Ashok Aditya, the district reproductive and child health officer said, who held an enquiry in the case.

“We are highly concerned about increasing institutionalised deliveries in remote areas and are filling up vacant ASHA posts so that mobilisation task picks up,” the officer said.