A pregnant woman in labour had to be carried for nearly seven kilometres on a stretcher in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district after an ambulance was unable to reach her village because of the absence of a motorable road.
The incident occurred at Anlakanta village under Dudhiani panchayat in Karanjia block, where Sumitra Shundhi required urgent medical assistance for delivery. Her family sought emergency ambulance services, but the vehicle could not travel up to the village because of poor road connectivity.
With no vehicle able to cover the final stretch, members of the 108 ambulance team decided to reach the woman on foot and carry her to the nearest point accessible by road.
Seven-kilometre journey on foot
The ambulance team comprising driver Gopal Chandra Nayak, attendant Ankit Mohanta and Munuram Soren carried Shundhi on a stretcher for around seven kilometres.
The journey involved negotiating difficult terrain and crossing rivers and streams before the team could reach the waiting ambulance. Shundhi was then shifted into the vehicle and taken to Karanjia Hospital for medical attention.
The incident has again drawn attention to the difficulties residents of remote villages face in accessing emergency healthcare, particularly when patients require urgent transportation to hospitals.
For pregnant women, the absence of reliable last-mile road connectivity can become particularly critical because delays in reaching a health facility may leave families and emergency workers with few alternatives.
Administration seeks details
Mayurbhanj Additional District Magistrate Netrananda Mallick said the administration had received information about the incident and would examine the circumstances.
Officials would first determine which department was responsible for the road before deciding on further action, he said. The matter would be discussed with the medical officer, Block Development Officer and, if required, the Rural Development Department.
Mallick said the district administration regularly reviews the functioning of different departments with an emphasis on improving basic facilities in areas that remain poorly connected.
He added that health, education, road connectivity and drinking water were among the basic requirements receiving government attention. Necessary instructions would be issued after officials investigated the situation and established responsibility for the road concerned.
Connectivity gaps persist
The Mayurbhanj incident comes amid continuing concerns over access to healthcare in remote parts of Odisha. Earlier this month, a pregnant woman in Koraput district had to be carried around three kilometres on a stretcher after an ambulance could not reach her village because there was no proper road.
Such cases underline how gaps in rural connectivity can directly affect access to essential services despite the availability of ambulances and healthcare facilities.
In Mayurbhanj, the ambulance crew's intervention ensured that Shundhi eventually reached hospital. However, the seven-kilometre journey on a stretcher has once again highlighted the consequences of inadequate road access in remote communities, where an emergency vehicle can be available but still remain kilometres away from the patient it is meant to serve.