In an instance of unavailability of ambulance, a pregnant woman walked for 20 km and delivered baby on the road in Katni district of Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday. The newborn baby girl died.
Beena, resident of Barmani village, walked the long distance along with her husband to the community health centre as the ambulance did not arrive and she was feeling labour pains.
Her family members said that they had called the community health centre for ambulance, but it failed to come.
She delivered the baby girl upon reaching Barhi town, near a police station. The family members told the media that the baby died as she fell to the ground.
However, the chief medical and health officer (CMHO) of the district, Ashok Avadhia said the newborn could not survive as she was born prematurely, in the seventh month of pregnancy.
He added that the ambulance could not reach as it wasn’t available at the Barhi community health centre. “Janani Express (108 ambulance service for pregnant women) is not under our control. It is made available through Bhopal,” he said.
An inquiry had been ordered into the incident, he concluded.
