Success Story for “Delivery Van” and “Bike Ambulance” Kandhamal

The problem

Kandhamal district lies in the high altitude zone with inter spreading inaccessible terrain of hilly ranges and narrow valley tracts. Almost 66 percent of the land area of the district is covered with dense forests and towering mountains comprising of 12 rural tribal blocks.

Number of schemes have been implemented by both State and Central government to improve maternal and child health care services. But as the tribals dwell in the scattered remote pockets, in the hilly terrains and in the deep forests, it has always been a challenge for Kandhamal district administration to make these health services available for general patients and essentially for pregnant women and the new born. The child births were usually conducted by untrained “Dhais” in the village and the pregnant women hardly go to local hospital for delivery.

The solution

As the district is having highest number of difficult villages (914) and as there is less number of 102 Ambulance Vehicle, the District Administration took innovative step like Delivery Van & and Bike Ambulances. Five Numbers of Bike Ambulances were placed in strategic locations of the district where there is incidence of high home delivery.

Considering the instances of delivery on the road side and under the tree in some hard to reach areas of Phiringia Block, an innovative “Delivery Van” has been designed. The vehicle is equipped with all necessary instrument & equipment required for normal delivery, water facility, delivery table etc.. Two SAB trained Staff Nurses, attendants along with essential drugs and consumable are stocked in the van to provide required care to the mother for safe delivery of the child in emergency situations. 

A Pregnant woman Smt Pratima Bindhani W/o Dayanidhi Bindhani from Palendi Village under Telapalli Sub-Centre, Phiringia was at labour pain on 28/12/2018 at about 8 PM. Due to non-availability of 102 and 108 vehicles, delivery Van was calledat 8.43 PM. Delivery Van of CHC Phiringia reached at Paledi at about 9.45 PM. They received the mother and transported her to CHC Phiringia and dropped her at CHC Phiringia at about 10.15 PM. The mother delivered a MCH child of weight 3.1 Kg at about 10.35 PM. The APGAR score of the baby at birth was 7. The APGAR (Appearance, Pulse, Grimace, Activity, and Respiration) score at 5 minutes after birth was 10.

With the lunch of “Delivery Van” and “Ambulance Bike”, the administration was able to gain gain the confidence of the tribals and number of institutional delivery is increasing day by day. As a result the District stood 1^st Position in the State so far for “Institutional Delivery”.