The prompt intervention of an obstetrician saved the life of a young woman who delivered a baby girl inside an e-rickshaw on Sunday morning in Englishbazar, Malda.
Both the mother and the infant were immediately rushed to a nearby nursing home, where they received further treatment following the safe and normal delivery.
According to a source, obstetrician Dr Debchandan Roy was at his chamber at Thakur Das Babu Lane in ward 7 of Englishbazar when he heard frantic cries from outside
around 10.30am.
“Curious, I rushed out and found a heavily pregnant passenger of an e-rickshaw in a
critical situation,” Dr Roy said.
He learnt that the 20-year-old woman, Smriti Rajbanshi (name changed on request) of Jahaj Field, had gone into acute labour while travelling on an e-rickshaw with her relatives, probably because of the jerks experienced during the ride.
The baby was about to be born within moments, there was no time to lose.
Dr Roy immediately swung into action.
He directed the patient’s family members and his assistants to cover the e-rickshaw with cloth to convert it into a makeshift labour room.
In that improvised space on the road, the doctor facilitated the safe delivery of a baby girl.
“The mother needed immediate primary care and a few stitches. The newborn was underweight and required urgent hospitalisation as the street delivery had increased the risk of infection,” said the young doctor.
The mother and newborn were stable at the nursing home, he added.
The woman’s family members, Englishbazar residents and members of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) praised Dr Roy’s presence of mind.