Phidim, August 24 A pregnant woman who was in intense labour pain at Hilihang Rural Municipality of Panchthar district was rescued yesterday. Laya Prasad Sangraula, a local, rescued Tara Lauwagun, 22, who was struggling to deliver her baby and took her to hospital for parturition. “While I was passing by the house, I heard a woman screaming in pain from inside. Then I saw four women pressing the abdomen of the woman whose hands were tied to the ceiling, in order to help her deliver her baby. I was shocked to see that. I asked them to stop, telling that what they were doing was risky for both the mother and the baby. I immediately managed a vehicle and rushed her to District Hospital, Phidim,” Sangraula recounted. “Despite struggling for hours, she could not deliver the baby normally. Ultimately the doctors conducted C-section and delivered the baby Now the condition of both the mother and the baby is normal. If there had been a few hours’ delay in bringing her to the hospital, we would not be able to save her,” said Dr Pawan Kumar Sah of the health facility. From the hospital bed, Tara said she had informed about the onset of labour pain on Friday to her relatives but they were reluctant to take her to a health facility. “As everybody forced me to deliver my baby at home, I could not say no,” said Tara, who whose husband is deaf and in-laws are physically disabled. Sangraula has taken the initiative to raise fund for Tara’s healthcare expenses. The campaign has so far collected more than Rs 15,000 from various donors.