Mumbai: A pregnant woman from Maharashtra’s Hingoli district allegedly lost her unborn child after a delay in receiving emergency medical assistance, with her family claiming that a government ambulance could not be sent because it had no diesel.
According to an Hindustan Times report, the incident took place in Jawala Bazar area of Hingoli district and has sparked outrage over the functioning of emergency healthcare services in rural Maharashtra.
According to the woman’s relatives, she developed severe labour pain following which the family contacted the government-run 108 and 102 ambulance services seeking urgent help. However, they alleged that despite repeated calls, no ambulance arrived for nearly two hours.
The family claimed that ambulance staff informed them that the vehicle could not be deployed as there was no diesel available. They also alleged that they were told not to call repeatedly as the ambulance would not be able to reach them.
Relatives further claimed that a 102 ambulance was parked outside a nearby primary health centre, but despite repeated appeals, it was allegedly not provided to the patient.
As the woman’s condition reportedly deteriorated, family members pooled money together and arranged a private vehicle to rush her to the Government Medical College in Hingoli.
Doctors later performed a Caesarean section, but the unborn child could not be saved, according to the family.
A relative alleged that the delay in reaching the hospital proved fatal for the baby.
The woman’s mother questioned the condition of the public healthcare system and said poor families are left helpless during emergencies.
“We are poor people. How were we supposed to arrange a private vehicle immediately during such a crisis? They refused to provide the ambulance, saying there was no diesel. If something had happened to my daughter as well, who would have taken responsibility?” she told HT
The incident has once again highlighted concerns regarding healthcare accessibility and emergency response systems in remote parts of Maharashtra, particularly for economically weaker families dependent on government-run services.
