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She shouldn’t die but was gone in the Ganesh festival
Sep 24, 2010
Kamla was born in a remote Indian village
Where conflicts between Maoists and government are long and lasting
Villagers live in fear
No basic healthcare, bad transportation,
The instability worsens the problems
No choices, childbirth is always at home – she was no exception
Unfortunately her labour was prolonged
Relatives tried hard to find a vehicle.
Eight hours later, she arrived at our mother and child healthcare centre
We tried to deliver, but the baby’s head would not pass through the pelvis
The situation was grave, the womb was contracting, and the baby was hypoxic
An urgent cesarean section was needed to save their lives
But there was no operation equipment, no blood bank
The only thing we could do was to send her to the nearest hospital
Another four hours away
I’ll never forget – she held my hands tightly and murmured to me before she left
“Who knows, maybe I will die like this, who knows?”
I kept silent but my heart was sinking.
At midnight, she reached the hospital, but no suitable blood was available
The operation was delayed, the baby was gone
In the early morning, her uterus ruptured from prolonged contractions
She lost too much blood and died as well
Leaving a 3-year-old son behind.
With all these ‘NO’s, Kamla’s death seems destined
Similar deaths happen daily, quietly
Chhattisgarh is one of the provinces with highest maternal mortality rate in India
But these numbers are neglected and buried.
“No, she shouldn’t die!”
All these ‘NO’s shouldn’t be ignored, shouldn’t be put aside
We are fuelled by our frustrations
Which pushes us to meet the needs
To save lives, to make lives continued
We work hard to set up an operation room and blood bank
We provide transport for emergency cases, improving timely referral service
We promote antenatal care to remote villages by mobile clinics
We do anything we can
Just to prevent other Kamla, Sunita, Kavita and Laxmi
From appearing on the death list when they give birth
But in the end, maintaining internal peace and prosperity is the government’s
responsibility
Utopia? We will wait and see!
Ganesh is a patron saint in Hinduism
People pray to Him for his blessing
In all the celebrations, with the dancing and singing for the Ganesh Festival
Kamla’s funeral wail was submerged in the sound of joy
But her words will linger in my mind for a long time.
The Ganesh Festival is a Hindu festival. It lasts for 10 days. The date usually falls between 20 August and 22 September of each year.
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