Ghaziabad: Stuck in traffic, two give birth in ambulances

GHAZIABAD: Two women gave birth in ambulances after getting stuck in traffic jams in the city on Friday morning. Both women were headed to the District Women Hospital, where they were later taken to for medical attention after the deliveries.
The hospital’s chief medical superintendent, Deepa Tyagi, said: “Both the women and their infants (boys) are fine and are under observation at the hospital.”
Tyagi added that around 10am, Neema (32), a resident of Sahibabad, got stuck in a snarl near Thakurdwara trisection due to an accident in the area. “There was a medical assistant in the vehicle and the woman did not face any difficulty in the delivery,” Tyagi said. Neema’s husband Bhalram is a daily wage labourer and this was their third child.
In the second case, 22-year-old Jyoti, a resident of Sudamapuri in Vijay Nagar, gave birth inside an ambulance just a few hundred metres from the women’s hospital. She had got stuck for over half an hour on Gaushala road due to heavy traffic.
Ram Mohan, Jyoti’s ambulance driver, said: “We received a call around 9.30 am and reached Sudamapuri in about 20 minutes. However, we were able to pick up the patient only by 10.15am, as there was a huge jam in the area. On the way to the hospital, it took us 45 minutes. Had there been no traffic jam near Gaushala phatak, it would have taken just 20 minutes to reach the hospital.”
Mohan said though there was an attendant in the ambulance, Jyoti’s relatives — mother-in-law and two neighbours — refused to take his help. Jyoti’s husband, Yogesh, who works with a cooker manufacturing company, said it was their first kid. He alleged that his father had been trying to call the ambulance (102) service since 6am, but got to speak to the operator only around 9.30 am.
“Moreover, the ambulance took a wrong route and got stuck in the jam. It further delayed reaching the hospital,” he added.
NK Gupta, Ghaziabad chief medical officer, said: “The ambulance is a centralised service and operated from Lucknow. If there is any delay on the part of the ambulance driver, we will inquire into it and send our report to Lucknow.”
Asked about jams in the city, SSP Upendra Kumar Agrawal said: “More than the traffic police’s fault, jams in the city take place because of narrow roads. At present, there are 150 constables and home guards who man the roads. This apart, around 550 additional constables for the traffic wing have been allotted for Ghaziabad and they have also started joining the force. A major improvement in traffic movement will be seen in the coming days.”