14-07-2025
Ambulance arrives late, tribal woman gives birth midway
Anakapalli: Astri bals of Losingi hamlet, Anakapalli district continue to be deprived of basic infrastructure, they are left with no other choice than to depend on a makeshift stretcher (doli) for transport to meet any sort of emergency health service.
A tribal woman Pangi Sai (22) of Losingi gave birth to an infant midway while she was getting shifted to a hospital on a doli. The incident took place on Sunday when her family members were trying to help her reach the hospital by trekking four kilometres from the village at Rolugunta mandal.
However, Pangi Sai developed labour pains in the wee hours of Sunday and delivered the baby. Her husband Sundar Rao and her family members carried the doli and arrived at YB Patnam village for an ambulance facility to reach the hospital.
Since the ambulance arrival got inordinately delayed, Sai developed labour pains while on the move, the women of the family shifted her to a secluded place and helped her deliver the baby. Later, she was shifted to Butchimpeta Primary Health Centre. The family had to wait almost two hours for the arrival of the ambulance.
With an aim to eliminate doli woes, Anakapalli district Collector sanctioned Rs 2.5 crore for the construction of a BT road from YB Patnam to Losingi via Pedagaruvu village. Recently, the construction of the subway came to a halt due to non-payment of bills to the contractor.
A major part of the road was washed away by heavy rains and the path turned into slushy ponds, making the path difficult for the ambulances to arrive.
There are about 290 people of 70 families belonging to the PVTG tribe residing in Losingi village. The village does not have an Anganwadi centre or social health workers to attend to the locals in times of any emergency.
Flagging their years of turmoil, CPM district executive committee member K Govinda Rao, said, 'The tribals residing in the hamlet express concern over an 8-km-long trek they have to take in order to get ration supplies given to pregnant and lactating mothers reaching Rajannapet village which is said to be the nearest centre.'
He demanded the government to provide basic facilities to tribal villages and the authorities to complete the road works at the earliest.
