In labour, expectant mother dies in jam in Bhagalpur

Bhagalpur: A 28-year-old expecting mother died in advanced labour pain in the heart of the city only because the autorickshaw she was travelling in was stuck in a jam for three hours on National Highway-80.

Vibha Kumari, wife of Vivekanand Mandal of Dhoriya in Banka, died in front of her parents on July 30 in the autorickshaw when she was referred to Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College & Hospital (JLNMCH) Bhagalpur from the local Sonhoula primary health centre.

“Sunday late night she was bleeding profusely. The doctors referred her to JLNMCH and we somehow reached Sabour around 10am on July 30 (Monday). Since there was no ambulance we hired an autorickshaw. When we hit NH-80 we found a massive jam near Bihar Agricultural University (BAU), Sabour,” said Vibha’s father Ramchandra Mandal.

He added: “Her condition was deteriorating because of the bumpy ride on the dilapidated NH-80. It took us three hours to cover 7km from Sabour to JLNMCH. When we reached the hospital, the doctors declared her brought dead.”

The woman’s mother lost consciousness soon after Vibha’s death. When The Telegraph approached her after she gained consciousness she asked: “Who is responsible for my daughter and her child’s death?”

A dozen patients have died on their way to the hospital on the NH-80 in the past 8-9 months because of potholes and jams. The national highway passes through the city unlike in big cities where the main road runs on the outskirts of the city.

Bhagalpur senior superintendent of police Ashish Bharati, however, denied any jam on NH-80 on Monday near BAU, Sabour, which resulted in Vibha’s death.

“The autorickshaw might have been trapped in a pothole on NH-80 which could have delayed her journey to JLNMCH,” Bharati said on Tuesday.

Bharati, however, assured that the police would institute a case if the family members of the woman approach them with a complaint.

A relative of the woman said: “We are poor people. We could hardly arrange money for her last rites. Do we get back our girl if we register a case?”

Deputy inspector-general of police (DIG), Bhagalpur, Vikash Vaibhav, too expressed helplessness in the case. “There’s no bypass and construction of bridges are taking too much time. These lead to the traffic mess,” he said.

Courtesy: The Telegraph