Woman gives birth on boat in flooded Golaghat

GUWAHATI: In flood-hit Golaghat district of Assam , where people are fighting a daily battle against rising waters to cheat death every day, a woman has given birth on a country boat with the assistance of a community health officer and an ASHA worker.

Both the mother and the child have been shifted to the Bokakhat Sub-Divisional Civil Hospital after the delivery and are doing fine now.

Rumi Pathori (24), a resident of far-flung Afolla village, started having excruciating labour pain on Monday morning. But she had no where to go for the delivery as the nearest health sub-centre in the village was under water. Community health officer of Bortika sub-centre Tralokya Saikia, who was informed about her condition, didn't know how to help Rumi as there was no chance of an ambulance reaching the village that was cut off from Bokakhat town. The Bokakhat Sub-Divisional Civil Hospital, well equipped for the task, was nearly 30 km away and the only way to reach there was on a boat.

Not wasting any more time, Saikia decided to take the hapless woman to the hospital on a country boat with the help of Manju Chetry, the ASHA worker. But Rumi's pain became unbearable after they crossed four flooded villages and it was not possible to travel any further. Knowing very well that it was about time, Saikia and Chetry ensured a safe delivery on the boat itself.

"I tried to contact the ambulance but it was unable to drive down to Afolla as it was flooded. Under such circumstances, I had to use a boat to take her to hospital for safe delivery. Her pain became unbearable before reaching the nearest motorable road. Fulfilling the minimum possible hygiene norms, I, with the help of Chetry, conducted the delivery successfully," said Saikia.

By the time the delivery was over, an ambulance had reached the motorable road which was not very far from the boat.

Calling the efforts of Saikia and Chetry commendable, Golaghat deputy commissioner Dhiren Hazarika said the district administration is planning to honour the duo during the upcoming Independence Day celebrations. "Their feat needs official recognition. We will take a call after getting the details from the health department," added Hazarika.