Odisha woman dies while being carried 7 km on makeshift sling after childbirth

Berhampur: In a tragic incident, a 23-year-old woman died while being carried nearly 7 km on a makeshift sling to a hospital after developing severe complications following childbirth in a remote village in Odisha’s Ganjam district on Tuesday.  

According to the news reports, the incident took place at Soradapalli village under Chandanpur gram panchayat in Beguniapada block. The woman had delivered a baby girl at home but suffered excessive bleeding soon after delivery, leaving her in a critical condition.  

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As her condition deteriorated, villagers attempted to arrange emergency medical assistance. However, an ambulance could not reach the village due to the absence of an all-weather road. With no alternative means of transportation available, villagers placed the critically ill woman in a makeshift sling and carried her towards Sumandal hospital, covering a distance of nearly 7 km. 

However, she died on the way before reaching the hospital.

The newborn is currently undergoing treatment at Kodala Hospital. The incident has again exposed the hardships faced by residents of remote villages in accessing emergency healthcare. The absence of motorable roads and timely ambulance services can prove fatal, particularly for pregnant women and other patients requiring urgent medical attention, reports TNIE.

This is not the first time that a pregnant woman in Odisha has faced such hardship while seeking emergency medical assistance.

In October, a 35-year-old pregnant woman in Kashipur block of Rayagada district was carried nearly 5 km in a makeshift sling to reach an ambulance. She was subsequently taken to the district headquarters hospital in Rayagada, where she delivered a stillborn baby.

Repeated incidents of this nature have raised serious concerns over rural road connectivity, maternal healthcare and emergency transportation facilities in remote parts of the state.

Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that a three-year-old boy died at Bhanjanagar Sub-Divisional Hospital in Odisha’s Ganjam district after his family allegedly faced a delay in getting timely medical care, highlighting concerns over the hospital’s shortage of doctors. 

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