80 km from Mumbai, tribal woman delivers baby en route to hospital

A file photo of another villager, Chandrakala Zugare, 30, being transported in a hammock by tribals after her caesarean stitches were removed on Tuesday, July 28

The residents of a tribal hamlet with almost 60 houses and 200 people located eight kilometres from Murbad tehsil, surrounded by water on three sides and a forest with snakes and 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 the closest hospital. On December 12, a woman in labour, delivered en route the hospital, and had to be carried in a hammock as villagers with her couldn't cut the umbilical cord.

The newborn at a private hospital

Even in the pandemic and lockdown, 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, a pregnant woman, 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 few women and men from the village 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.

"At night I could sense the pain and a little past midnight, it became unbearable and my parents decided to take me to the rural hospital. We walked a short distance and I could not bear the pain anymore. I was scared and unable to walk," recalled Pushpa. She has two daughters and stays in Neral. She had come to her parents for the delivery.

Pushpa Shingve delivered a male child in the jungle area of Talyanchiwadi on the night of Dec 11 and 12 under a torch light and was taken to hospital with tb umbilical cord connected to her womb

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."

When asked if he was aware that the baby was delivered en route the hospital, he said he was told by his in-laws that they had to go through a lot of hassles to get to her the hospital, but they didn't speak much, as they were all happy that both mother and child were fine.

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 Sangathana, 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 difficult to reach the village."

Barvi dam passing close to Talyanchi vadi

On Thursday, Tulpule, assisted the villagers to draft a written complaint (copy with this paper) to the sub-divisional magistrate, Kalyan, who is also the land acquisition officer of Barvi Dam, about Pushpa's delivery, and highlighted the tribal suffering.

Tulpule added, "The complaint letter clearly states that incase of any 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, which unfortunately is just on paper even today."

Indavi Tulpule the activist fighting for the tribals right

Debate over baby's delivery

Dr Jitendra Bendari, who runs Tanmay Maternity Hospital at Murbad 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, "It is a fact that 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 accordingly they were 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 personally spoken to the mother, Pushpa, and local villagers, who have corroborated the facts of her delivering enroute the hospital. And the complaint letter is signed and has the thumb impression of the mother and the eyewitness, 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 with the denial of facts by the hospital."

Dr Bendari, however said, "The fact is Pushpa delivered in my hospital and that is the truth. Any further delay could have led to further complications and it would have been a challenge for both the mother and child, also the health centre."

File pics of Talyanche wadi tribal hamlet covered with barvi dam water from three sides and jungle which is only accessible to the hamlet during the monsoon season

Expert comment

Dr Deepti Dongaonkar, a gynaecologist and former dean of Nagpur, Latur and Miraj Government Medical Colleges said, "It might be a fact that the tribal woman entered labour as she walked through the jungle, and might have been in a semi advanced stage of labour, wherein the infant's head might be in a downward position around the pelvis, making it difficult for her to walk and bear the pain. If the tribals claim that they made a hammock and travelled the remaining distance and then took her to the hospital where she delivered, the possibility cannot be ruled out. However, the version of the doctor who was on duty at the time, will be accepted and accordingly the records will be maintained."

Rs 250
Pushpa's husband's daily earning when he gets work

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