ASR: Woman gives birth in `Doli' en route to hospital; baby slips, suffers injury

Visakhapatnam, October 14: A tribal woman delivered a baby boy in a `Doli' (makeshift stretcher) while being shifted to a hospital in the far-flung area of the ASR district.

It is the third such incident in the past one week when sick were carried in a Doli in north Andhra Pradesh.

The incident took place in the forest area under G Madugula Mandal in the ASR district on Thursday. However, it came to light on Friday.

K Radha, a native of Nittamamidi village under G Madugula developed labor pains in the wee hours on Thursday. There is no road connectivity to her hilltop village.

Radha's husband and family members waited till sunrise. Later they decided to shift her in Doli from the village to the nearest motorable road Vasamamidi to get the Ambulance. The nearest motorable road is around 20 km from the village and people carried the patient in Doli.

They started walking at 8 am on Thursday and after traveling 15 km, Radha's labor pains became severe and she gave birth to a baby boy in the Doli in the forest cover. The infant fell from the Doli and suffered injuries near his eye.

After a short break, they again started walking and reached Vasamamidi where a 108 vehicle was waiting. The 108 staff provided first aid treatment to the infant and the woman. Baby and mother have been shifted to the government at Paderu.

Doctors said that the condition of the infant and woman is stable. The infant suffered only a small injury only and his feeding is normal, they added.

"There is no proper road connectivity to our villages even 75 years after Independence. We have been facing so many problems getting medical assistance. We made several representations to the officials and political leaders on road Connectivity, but nobody is responding," they added.

It may be recalled that a 40-year-old-man K Jogulu died due to a delay in reaching the hospital in the absence of proper road connectivity under Gantyada Mandal in Vizianagaram district.

Jogulu, a native of Diguva Kondaparthi village under Gantyada Mandal was carried on a make-shift stretcher for over 7 km amid heavy rains and slippery road conditions at Thatipudi reservoir. They later boarded a small boat to reach another side of the reservoir. Jogulu was admitted to the district hospital in Vizianagaram. However, he lost his final breath on Sunday morning while he was availing treatment.