In a heart-wrenching incident that underscores the fragile state of rural healthcare and infrastructure in Odisha, a pregnant woman was carried on a cot by villagers after an ambulance failed to reach her due to muddy roads.
The distressing scene unfolded on Tuesday afternoon in Murudi village under the Samarbandha panchayat of Phiringia block in Kandhamal district.
The expectant mother, Jhimi Mallick, experienced labour pain, but the ambulance could not make it to the village as the road was rendered impassable by thick mud. So treacherous is the route that even bicycles or motorcycles cannot traverse it safely—residents say even walking results in slipping.
With no male family members at home and no way to summon medical help, villagers stepped in. Local MLA representative Prashant Kamp, Sarpanch Sushila Kanhar, and others including social worker Debeswar Deep Karn, carried the woman on a cot to the nearest ambulance point—an act of extraordinary community compassion.
The assistant engineer of the Rural Development Department, Engineer Sushil Mohanty, assured that road construction is ongoing and will be completed within the next few months, alleviating such hardships in the future.
Shockingly, this was not a one-off event. A similar case occurred earlier in Pandupadar village of the same block, where another pregnant woman had to deliver her baby in an auto-rickshaw due to an ambulance delay.
The residents have demanded immediate completion of all-weather road projects to prevent such reoccurrences and ensure timely medical support.
