A woman was forced to deliver her baby inside the train she was travelling in Dima Hasao district of south Assam.
The incident is related to Daotohazar in Maibang sub-division of Dima Hasao district.
The couple belongs to Sobuje village in Daotohazar. On Friday morning, S Longmailai had boarded the Silchar-Guwahati Fast Passenger train at Daotohazar with his heavily pregnant wife.
Longmailai boarded the train along with his wife to get her admitted to Haflong Civil Hospital.
Soon after boarding the train, Longmailai’s wife developed intense labour pain. Before she could reach New Haflong, the lady gave birth to a baby girl right inside the train.
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Longmailai said that they were “lucky” as students studying in Silchar Medical College were travelling in the train and they assisted his wife in delivering the baby.
As people started talking about the woman being in labour pain, few girl students of Silchar Medical College overheard their conversation.
The girl students came forward and helped Longmailai’s wife to deliver a baby girl.
Once the train reached New Haflong, the mother and the newborn were admitted to Haflong Civil Hospital. Both the mother and the child are in “good health”.
Longmailai told Northeast Now, “In Daotohazar, doctors and nurses exist on paper. But the reality is that not even a pharmacist is available in the primary health centre to give medicines.”
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The birth of the baby inside the train lay bare the government’s hollow claims as regards health services in rural areas of Assam.
Primary health centres are there in the villages but sans doctors and nurses. Communication bottlenecks further adds to the villagers’ woes. The National Health Mission exist only on papers.
The government might holler from the rooftops as to building village roads, but it is far from the truth.
The National Health Mission (NHM) envisages achievement of universal access to equitable, affordable and quality health care services that are accountable and responsive to people’s needs.