Gumla (Jharkhand): Unable to access proper healthcare facilities in the absence of proper road, residents in the Mirchai Pat village in Dumri area of Gumla city of Jharkhand took a pregnant woman to a hospital in an ambulance to neighbouring state Chhattisgarh.
It takes roughly about 1 hour and 13 minutes to travel a distance of 56 kilometres from Dumri to Jashpur in Chattisgarh.
A local claimed that Jharkhand’s helpline number for a pregnant woman was unable to provide any substantial help.
Speaking to ANI on Thursday, a local, Ashok Yadav, who assisted in carrying the pregnant woman, said, “We called up Jharkhand’s helpline number for a pregnant woman but we were told that they won’t be able to help us in the absence of the road. We then called for an ambulance from Chhattisgarh. She was then taken to Jashpur. Patients are left to God’s mercy here.”
Locals claimed that the pregnant woman was taken from the Dumri area to the Chhattisgarh border in a make-shift stretcher. From there, the woman was taken in an ambulance to the hospital.
After gathering information about this incident, Deputy Commissioner of Gumla district, Sushant Gaurav assured that the district administration is looking into the matter.
Speaking to ANI on Thursday, he said, “We have marked the area and we will send a proposal. We will see to it that incidents don’t repeat. We will cover such places under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana for road connectivity within 3-4 years. We are increasing the number of Mamata Vahan.”
The Government of Jharkhand with an aim to reduce the delay in referral during childbirth and the treatment of sick newborns initiated the novel idea of free referral services to the health facilities for the beneficiaries in 2019 by introducing ‘Mamata Vahans (vehicles)’.
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