Mumbai, Jul 23 (PTI) A woman writhing in labour pain had to be carried for over a kilometre in an improvised sling, made from sarees, in Maharashtra’s Thane district.
A heart-wrenching video of Manisha Bhavar’s precarious journey to get medical help in time has gone viral on social media, turning the spotlight on the lack of basic infrastructure in certain rural pockets.
A resident of Bavarpada hamlet in Shahapur tehsil, about 100 km from Mumbai, the young woman recently went into labour at her home.
With no access to an ambulance due to poor road connectivity, her relatives and neighbours created a sling from sarees for her transportation to the nearest sub-district civil hospital.
The heavily pregnant woman in unbearable pain was put inside the sling, which was lifted with a wooden pole. She was then carried through a muddy and slippery track where one wrong step could spell trouble for her and her unborn child.
Thankfully, her relatives later confirmed that both mother and her newborn are safe and currently receiving treatment at the hospital.
“It is a muddy track from our village to the main district road. We have made demands for proper road connectivity, but nothing has happened yet,” a villager said, expressing frustration over long-pending infrastructure issues.
This is not an isolated case in Shahapur tehsil, said local residents.
A similar video from neighbouring Chafewadi had gained traction on social media last month. With no approach road to the hamlet, a 21-year-old pregnant woman, Sangita Ravindra Mukane, had to be ferried in a similar fashion to the main road where an ambulance waited.
Local social worker Prakash Khodka said, “People have been demanding basic facilities like roads, electricity and health services, but we are yet to receive them. Women face serious challenges as their health and lives are at stake in such situations.” In June, during a gram sabha (village general meeting) at Karasa Mokhawane, villagers had openly accused public representatives of failing to address their longstanding grievances concerning basic infrastructure.
In the last couple of years, there have been several instances in tribal notified areas like Shahapur and neighbouring Palghar district where pregnant women lost their lives because they could not reach the hospital in time or did not receive proper treatment, said an official from the state tribal department.
Efforts are being made to improve the connectivity with remote villages and hamlets. Once the monsoon is over, road repair works will be carried out, which will help the locals, he added. PTI ND NR
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