Chennai, Nov. 20: A pregnant woman whose admission got delayed because of a missing doctor gave birth in the porch of a primary health centre, her mother playing midwife as hospital support staff looked on.

The incident happened this morning at Rayappanpatti village in Theni district, about 480km from here.

T. Rangammal, 26, wife of a farmer from a nearby village, was rushed to the health centre, equipped to handle pregnancies round the clock, with labour pain around 8.30am. But two nurses on duty refused to admit her saying they needed permission from the doctor on the shift.

The doctor did not show up even at 2pm. So Nagarathinam, helped by bystanders, put her daughter on a cot in the porch and she delivered the girl after a 30-minute battle while the nurses watched.