Cuttack, July 26: A destitute woman today delivered a baby on a road near Fakirpur within Jagatpur police limits here, exposing the lack of awareness about the existence of a dedicated ambulance service for pregnant women.

The government had launched the service with much fanfare, but today's incident shows that the delivery mechanism is still to take shape and facilities to ensure safe delivery of expecting mother remain on crutch.

Requesting anonymity, an official of the service provider admitted to the lack of awareness about the existence of 102 ambulance service that was started to ferry pregnant women and sick infants to hospitals.

The 38-year-old woman, suspected to be a rag-picker, had developed labour pain this afternoon and was spotted by passers-by around 3pm.

"I was returning home when I saw two persons standing near the woman. She had already delivered a male child and was writhing in pain," said Smruti Ranjan Nayak , 29, an eyewitness.

Nayak told The Telegraph that it was difficult to spot the woman as she was lying in an isolated, bushy place off the road.

Nayak claimed he had made several calls to the government-run 108 helpline for an ambulance, but it arrived on the spot after around 30 minutes. Nayak also rushed to the local police outpost to inform them about the incident. Later, the woman and child were shifted to SCB Medical College and Hospital around 4.30pm.

"We had got a sari to wrap the child and protect him from insects and other infections. The woman had got drenched in rain and had fainted while being rushed to SCB hospital," said Nirod Panda, the councillor of Cuttack city's ward No. 49.

Panda alleged that those had brought the woman and baby to SCB hospital felt harassed because even before starting treatment, the staff at the gynaecology department of the hospital asked them to procure some medicines and other articles from outside despite knowing that the patient was destitute.

Government hospitals are supposed to provide free medicines and treatment to the destitute. SCB emergency officer B.N. Moharana, however, denied that those who had brought the woman and the child were harassed.

"We arranged for emergency treatment of the mother and her child and all medicines will be provided free of cost following norms," said Moharana.

The child has been admitted to the special neonatal care unit (SNCU) of SCB, while the woman is undergoing treatment at the gynaecology department. SCB authorities have also deployed two attendants to monitor the condition of the woman and her baby, said Moharana.