Key Takeaways:

• ANM Hima Nepali delivered a baby girl on a stretcher in Gaumul Rural Municipality-5
• Mother Kamala Budha, 20, went into advanced labour before reaching a health centre
• Nepali continues trekking over an hour for postnatal check-ups due to monsoon barriers
• Local officials say 2–3 women in Bajura give birth en route to health facilities each month

BAJURA, JULY 27 A frontline health worker braved heavy rain and rugged mountain trails to deliver a baby girl on a stretcher after a pregnant woman went into advanced labour before reaching a health facility in remote Bajura. Twenty-year-old Kamala Budha of Kot in Gaumul Rural Municipality-5 was being carried by relatives to the Nokrada Basic Health Centre after labour pains began. With the health post still about 40 minutes away, her condition rapidly worsened and the baby's head had already emerged, making it impossible to continue the journey. Her family immediately sought help, and at around 5:20 am Auxiliary Nurse Midwife (ANM) Hima Nepali rushed to the scene carrying delivery equipment. Finding Kamala lying on a stretcher in the middle of the trail, she safely delivered the baby girl despite persistent rainfall and the risk of severe bleeding. 'The mother's condition was critical. With heavy rain and no time to move her, we had to carry out the delivery right there on the stretcher,' Nepali said. The mother and newborn were later taken to the health centre, where they remained under observation for 24 hours before being discharged in good health. Nepali has continued to trek more than an hour to Kamala's home for regular postnatal check-ups, as monsoon rains, landslides and swollen streams make it difficult for new mothers to return to the health facility.

'During the rainy season, many mothers and newborns cannot travel safely. That's why I visit them at home,' she said. Gaumul Rural Municipality Chair Hari Bahadur Rokaya praised Nepali's commitment, calling it 'an example of humanitarian service that goes beyond professional responsibility.' Kamala's story also underscores the continuing challenges of maternal healthcare in Nepal's remote hills. According to local health worker Dipak Shah, two to three women in Bajura give birth on the way to health facilities every month due to the district's difficult terrain, poor road access and limited healthcare infrastructure.