A pregnant tribal woman of the Huichi village in Noney district was taken to the primary health centre at Haochong on Friday on a litter made of bamboo and discarded gunny bags for 5 km. S. Bavium gave birth to the baby in the hospital there. Incidentally, she is the third pregnant woman to be taken like this from the Noney district this month.
S. Bavium could not be taken in an ambulance or any other vehicle simply because there is no motorable road leading to this village. As there have been torrential rains recently, landslides have occurred at many places in this hill district. The village youths who carried the litter all the way to the hospital slipped and fell down at several places.
Another expectant tribal woman Kanpalilu Kamei was brought by her husband to Imphal for delivery on August 5. However, the husband had to spend the whole night taking her to five hospitals. But all of them — three government hospitals and two private hospitals — had allegedly refused to admit her. She died at the gate of a yet another private hospital at Langol in Imphal.
Another woman, however, gave birth to a healthy baby.
The government has not taken up any actions against the hospital so far. However, an order was issued directing all hospitals not to refuse treatment to any patients.
Manipur Chief Minster N. Biren says that his government is doing everything possible for a balanced development of the valley and the hills. However, several tribal villages have no road connectivity with other parts of the State.
