UTNOOR (ADILABAD): Lack of proper planning and preparedness for institutional delivery and absence of a tracking system to map the pregnant woman’s status and delivery time, is a major cause for deaths of pregnant women and new-born babies in old Adilabad district.
The need of the hour is creating awareness among the Adivasi women and village elders about the importance of shifting the pregnant woman in advance to the nearest round-the-clock PHC or any other government hospital for safe and secure institutional delivery. Representatives of the much hyped Rai centres are doing nothing in this regard.
The village headman and sarmedi can prepare the pregnant woman’s family towards shifting her in advance or at least making arrangement for her stay at their relatives’ home in the town before shifting her to a PHC when she goes into labour.
Even the Adivasi organisations are not doing their job. They can be powerful influencers of the Adivasi community but they don’t appear to take their responsibility seriously.
They could prevent maximum number of deaths of pregnant women and newborn babies that are occurring in old Adilabad district, say medical experts.
Adivasis residing in interior areas still prefer home deliveries and therefore do not shift the pregnant women to government hospitals for institutional deliveries.
The para medical staff who track the health status of the pregnant women also do not shift the women in advance to the nearest government hospital.
In many cases in villages in Narnoor, Gadeguda, Kerameri, Jainoor, Sirpur (U) and Tiryani mandals in Adilabad district and Bejjur, Penchikalpet, Chinthanamanepalli in Kumarambeem Asifabad district, it is observed that the family members shift the pregnant woman only once she goes into labour and a complication arises and they realise that they can’t handle it at home.
The health condition of the pregnant woman struggling with labour pains, further deteriorates when she has to be moved on a bullock cart on bumpy roads and often across flowing rivulets on a cot.
It is also a fact that the poor management of the 108 ambulances has resulted in them not reaching the interiors due to lack of road connectivity or bad roads and no telephone signals in those areas.
Even some doctors working at PHCs in the interior areas run their private clinics in the nearby towns where they stay instead of being on duty at the PHCs.
Still the family members give priority to home deliveries.
Para-medical staff, ANMs and Asha wormers are also failing to admit the pregnant women to the nearest PHC or community health centre in time for institutional delivery.
Medical experts feel that the deaths of pregnant women and new born babies could be averted if the medical staff working on the ground level are more active and shift the pregnant women to the PHC at least three days before their given delivery date.
A senior female government doctor of Adilabad, said that she was shocked when she came to know that a woman came from an educated family but did not undergo medical check-up till her sixth month and when she was tested then, it was discovered that she was severely anaemic with her haemoglobin only 6 per cent.
Adilabad MP Soyam Bapurao said that he was planning to provide special ambulances from his MPLAD funds at the identified government hospitals for the convenience of the local people of interior areas.
These ambulances would come of use in emergencies and help prevent deaths caused due to lack of access to medical services.
