Madhya Pradesh woman delivers 4 babies in autorickshaw, all newborns die; kin blame lack of ambulance

MANDLA: A woman delivered quadruplets inside an autorickshaw while being taken to the hospital in Madhya Pradesh's Mandla district, but all four babies died shortly after birth.

Her family alleged that the absence of an ambulance to transport her cost the newborns their lives on Tuesday, while health officials said the babies succumbed to premature delivery and their incomplete development.

The woman's husband claimed that if an ambulance had been made available on time, the babies could have survived.

District Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO) Dr D J Mohanty said that Rajni Singaram, a resident of Naigaon, was brought to the government health centre in Ghuthas by a private vehicle after she experienced labour pain in the seventh month of her pregnancy.

Due to her critical condition, she was transferred to the community health centre in Bichhiya in an autorickshaw, the official said.

But before reaching the community health centre, she gave birth to four children in a private vehicle, Mohanty said, adding, "All four babies -- three girls and a boy -- died because they were premature and weighed around 1.5 kilograms each."

The official further said the woman has been admitted to the Bichhiya Community Health Centre and is out of danger.

The woman’s family members, however, alleged that they called the emergency ambulance service after she went into labour, but when no response came, they took her to the hospital in an autorickshaw.

Her husband, Ganesh Singaram, claimed that if an ambulance had been available on time, his children could have been saved.

Asked about the allegations, Mandla District Magistrate Rahul Namdev Dhote told PTI that he has not received any complaint so far in this connection.

If a complaint is received, the matter will be investigated and necessary action will be taken, he added.