KRISHNAGIRI: It was an unforgettable Christmas for K Sofia, the village health nurse (VHN) of the Bettamugilalam panchayat. She was part of a medical team that helped save two lives – a 26-year-old mother and her newborn baby from the tribal village of Kadambakuttai in the Bettamugilalam Hills – late Friday evening.
Kelamangalam (BMO) C ward doctor Rajesh Kumar said he received a phone call around 10 p.m. Friday saying Madhuri from Kadambakuttai gave birth to a baby girl a month before the due date at her home around 5 p.m. on Friday and has reported blood loss for about four hours.
BMO, VHN, health inspector R Ranganathan, and nurse at Unichetti N Malashree primary health center stocked up on needed medicine and rushed to the foothills of Kadambakuttai. During this time, he alerted ambulance 108 in Bettamugilalam. The vehicle reached the foothills around 11:30 p.m.
Rajesh said the team had difficulty reaching the patient and her loved ones due to poor network connectivity in the hills. They managed to reach them, however, by contacting various sources and asked Madhuri and her husband Muniyappan (30) to reach the buttress. The TNIE reporter helped the medical team reach the patient by contacting the secretary of the Bettamugilalam panchayat, Jayakumar, who in turn asked the villagers to carry the young mother to the foot of the hills.
The village of Kadambakuttai, home to 40 Irular families and a few Hindu caste families, has no road connection, and people have to descend 3 km to reach the buttress for their daily needs.
The medical team, ambulance driver R Sendhurapandi and emergency medical technician (EMT) from ambulance M Anitha started to board around 1 a.m. Meanwhile, Madhuri’s relatives were walking down carrying the woman on a sling made of bamboo and blankets. The two teams met halfway. The medical team provided first aid to Madhuri and administered IV fluids.
A member of the health staff said, “The Minister of Health Ma Subramanian visited the Bettamugilalam panchayat and even went to Kadambakuttai in July this year. Thanks to him, an ambulance was stationed in Bettamugilalam and was able to intervene quickly in case of emergency. Otherwise, we would have to wait for the Unichetti PHC ambulance, which is far away. Muniyappan said there was a delay in the descent because the scarf they wore Madhuri on was torn halfway and they had to make another one.
VHN Sofia said: “It was an unforgettable experience. As we all got ready for the Christmas holidays, I got a call from BMO about the delivery. The tension immediately seized me and we began to pray that nothing untoward would happen to the mother and the baby.
J Murugesan, a villager from Kadambakuttai, said: “Just over a week ago, we spotted an elephant near our farmland. Fortunately, the medical team or the patient did not encounter such a problem on Friday evening. We asked the district administration to make a route or to relocate at the foot of the hills.
So far, we don’t know what happened to the petitions. Just a few days ago, we had to transport my sister-in-law to the hospital on a makeshift sling. My father passed away a few months ago without access to immediate medical support. Krishnagiri Collector V Jaya Chandra Bhanu Reddy said the district administration is working on the petition.
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