The Nagpur Bench of Bombay High Court has taken suo motu action after a shocking incident of pregnant woman being carried on a cot was reported in Etapalli area of Gadchiroli district. On October 14, a pregnant woman named Runita Dumma (20) had to be carried on a cot by villagers because there is no proper road for vehicles to reach Gotatola village. The High Court said this incident shows the poor condition of basic infrastructure in tribal areas, especially roads. Runita Dumma is originally from Reknar village near Kasansur. She had come to her maternal home at Gotatola for her delivery. On the morning of October 14, she suddenly started getting severe labour pains. Her family immediately informed the health department.

 

The ASHA worker in the village informed the Jaravandi Primary Health Centre. After receiving the message, Community Health Officer Gajanan Shinde sent an ambulance with a medical team toward Gotatola. However, the ambulance could not reach the village because there is a 3-kilometre stretch of broken, non-motorable road between the village and the nearest road. With no other option, the villagers made a cot and carried Runita on their shoulders for nearly one kilometre until they reached a proper road where the ambulance could finally pick her up. After reaching Jaravandi Primary Health Centre, doctors gave her first aid treatment. Later she was shifted to the District Women’s Hospital for further treatment.

 

Due to the timely efforts of the villagers, the ASHA worker, medical team, and doctors, Runita’s life was saved. However, the condition shocked the judges of the Nagpur Bench. On Monday, a division bench of Justice Anil Kilor and Justice Rajneesh Vyas took suo motu cognisance of the incident and registered a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) on their own. The Bench appointed Advocate P R Agarwal as the Amicus Curiae in this matter.

 

The High Court bench has directed Adv Agarwal to study the incident and file a detailed petition within three weeks. The court also observed that this issue is not only about one woman, but it reflects a larger problem faced by many tribal villages where health services cannot reach in time due to lack of roads. The judges remarked that if emergency patients including pregnant women cannot be taken to hospital safely, then immediate action is needed from Government authorities.