Bad roads in Adilabad claim lives of newborns and new mother

Pregnant women, newborns die due to delay in reaching primary health centres

Adilabad: The deaths of two newborns and a new mother within a week have once again exposed the dismal road connectivity in interior parts of the erstwhile Adilabad district.
Residents in remote villages continue to suffer due to a lack of access to medical facilities, with pregnant women struggling to reach primary health centres and newborns dying for want of timely medical care.

In the latest instance, Pendur Dhanalaxmi of Polasa in Adilabad rural mandal delivered a stillborn baby boy on a road at Boppapur village on September 6. She fell ill soon after, and local ASHA workers, along with health staff, trekked three kilometres to attend to her. However, an ambulance could not reach the spot as a flooded stream and slushy roads blocked access.
Similarly, on September 8, Chikram Priyanka of Bhagavanpur in Bheempur mandal gave birth to a baby who died within minutes. Her family members alleged the newborn could have survived had there been a motorable road. The ambulance was unable to reach the village due to mud-filled roads.

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Just days earlier, Korem Sridevi, a tribal woman from Chinna Malini in Kagaznagar mandal of Kumram Bheem Asifabad district, died after suffering heavy bleeding following the birth of her baby boy. The village, barely 15 km from Kagaznagar town, remains cut off due to a lack of a proper road.
Health officials said 13 birth waiting rooms had been set up in primary health centres at Ankoli, Bazarhathnoor, Bela, Bheempur, Gudihathnoor, Hasnpur, Jainath, Jhari, Indervelli, Pittabongaram, Shyampur and Sonala mandals to prevent maternal and infant deaths in remote and rain-affected areas. A total of 40 beds have been earmarked for women in these facilities.

They also said that 406 roads were sanctioned in tribal-dominated villages across the erstwhile Adilabad district at a cost of Rs 524.50 crore. However, only 40 works have been completed, while 366 remain at various stages of progress, indicating the State government’s interest in ensuring safety for pregnant women and babies in remote areas.