After tribal woman delivers en route to the hospital by foot, villagers forced to carry mom and baby for 1.5 km as locals are unable to cut the umbilical cord
The residents of a tribal hamlet with 60 houses and 200 people located 8km from Murbad, surrounded by water on three sides and a forest with wild animals, continue to fight every day for survival. With no mode of transport or road connectivity, the tribals are forced to transport the sick or pregnant women in hammocks to a hospital. On December 12, a woman in labour, delivered en route the hospital, and had to be carried in a hammock as villagers couldn't cut the umbilical cord.
The newborn at a private hospital
During the pandemic and lockdown, too, the tribes from Talyanchi Vadi, the hamlet located in Manivali village of Murbad tehsil, were left in the lurch, and had to fend for themselves. According to Padmakar Zugare, a villager, in the wee hours of December 12, Pushpa Ramesh Shingva, 24, who had come to her mother's house in the village, to deliver her third child, developed labour pains in the middle of the night.
Pushpa who delivered the baby
Padmakar said as they have no transport facility to their village due to the lack of roads, they have no option but to walk through the jungle (a stretch of 3 kms) to reach the main road. A little past midnight, according to Padmakar, Pushpa, her parents, mother Bhima, 45, and father Kashinath Shid, 52, along with some villagers including himself, headed for the rural hospital in Murbad, which is 8 kms away.
Pushpa's husband Ramesh with their daughters, Priya and Preeti
'Saved mother and child'
However, Padmakar said soon Pushpa complained of severe pain and the women, under the torches of their mobile phones and other torch lights, helped her deliver a baby boy. However, the umbilical cord could not be cut. "We made a hammock and carrying her and the baby in it, walked to the main road, and admitted them to Tanmay Maternity hospital. Both mother and child were saved," said Padmakar.
Ramesh Shingva, 30, her husband, who works as a daily worker, earns around R250 per day doing odd jobs. He said, "I received a phone call from my father-in-law around 3.30 am saying Pushpa delivered a male child. In the morning I visited the hospital, which is almost 50 kms from Neral."
Interestingly, in July, this year, Chandrakala Zugare, 30, another tribal, had to be taken in a hammock for her delivery and post her caesarean, her family took her back home in a hammock.
Indavi Tulpule, member of Shramik Mukti Sanghatana, who has been fighting for tribal welfare and rehabilitation of Talyanchi Vadi, said, "This is extremely shocking. MIDC or the state government should build a road on a war footing so that at least an ambulance can reach the village. The water tanker also finds it difficult to reach the village."
On Thursday, Tulpule, assisted the villagers to draft a written complaint (copy with this paper) to the sub-divisional magistrate, Kalyan, about Pushpa's delivery, and highlighted the tribal suffering. Tulpule added, "The complaint letter clearly states that in case of an incident of snake or scorpion bite or any casualty of woman and baby in the hamlet due to non-availability of basic roads, the district administration would be held responsible."
Tulpule said, "Moreover, even the administration has failed to take cognisance of Bombay High Court directives of providing transport facilities and potable drinking water to the tribals."
Debate over baby's delivery
While the tribals claimed the baby was delivered enroute, doctors at the hospital claimed it was delivered there.
Dr Jitendra Bendari, who runs Tanmay Maternity Hospital said, "As per our record, Pushpa Shingva got admitted in the wee hours of December 12. She delivered a baby boy at around 3.17 am at the hospital."
On duty Resident Medical Officer Dr Suraj Bhoir, said, "Pushpa was already in labour when brought to the hospital, and had to wait for some time, before she could deliver a male child. As per the protocol, the mother and child were kept in the hospital for few days, and discharged on December 15."
When told that the villagers and relatives of Pushpa claimed that she delivered the baby in the jungle enroute the hospital, Dr Bhoir refuted the same, stating, "even today some home delivery cases happen, and only when the matter goes out of hand, the villagers get the patient and child to hospital. But in this case, though the mother was in labour, she delivered in the hospital."
Tulpule rubbished the doctor's claim and said, "I have spoken to the mother, Pushpa, and local villagers, who have corroborated her delivering enroute the hospital. And the complaint letter is signed and has the thumb impression of the mother and the eyewitnesses from the hamlet, which was sent to the SDM, Kalyan. There is no way that the poor tribals would have a reason to tell lie to anyone. I am surprised by the denial of facts by the hospital."
Rs 250
Pushpa's husband's daily earning when he gets work
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