No ambulance, no road: Woman carried in cloth dies during childbirth in Chhotaudepur

Amid the tall claims of the government about Gujarat’s development, a woman in labour died before delivering the baby due to a lack of basic medical facilities in Chhotaudepur’s Kavant taluka.

Vansiben Rajubhai Nayaka, from Khedi Faliya of Turkheda village had four children. When she went into labour with her fifth child, local men and family members prepared a cloth sling and carried her on foot for three km from Khedi Faliya to Savdha Faliya.

Due to the absence of a proper road in Turkheda, the villagers have to endure immense hardship carrying their goods that distance. From Savdha Faliya, she was shifted into an EMRI ambulance and taken to the Community Health Centre in Kavant. From there, she was referred to Chhotaudepur for further treatment and then transferred again to SSG Hospital in Vadodara. But before she could deliver, she passed away.

Turkheda village has 7 hamlets with a population of around 4,000. This area lacks basic road facilities. Health services in Chhotaudepur district remain inadequate. Despite Kavant having a Community Health Centre, the woman was referred to Chhotaudepur. And despite Chhotaudepur having a Civil Hospital, she was sent again to Vadodara. During this prolonged ordeal, her condition worsened, leading to her death.

Local residents allege that the government has neglected building roads in their area. Due to this lack of road access, a woman also died last year under similar circumstances — and now, another life has been lost.