Key Takeaways:
- Sauri Budha (24) of Swamikartik Khapar-2 delivered baby boy in cave near Matiyan
- ANM Namuna Khatri trekked to site, managed placenta, ensured mother and newborn safe
- Mother carried home on stretcher; IV fluids and follow-up care provided at house
- Incident highlights poor road access, monsoon disruptions and maternal health risks
A 24-year-old woman in remote Bajura gave birth to a baby boy inside a roadside cave after going into active labour while being carried to a health facility, highlighting the continuing challenges of maternal healthcare access in Nepal's remote mountain districts.
Sauri Budha of Swamikartik Khapar Rural Municipality-2 delivered her second child at around 4 am on Friday after labour pains intensified midway to the Phayalgaun Basic Health Centre, according to local health officials.
Her family had begun talking her to the health post after labour started. However, after about an hour's walk, her condition worsened near Matiyan, forcing relatives to take shelter in a nearby cave, where she delivered the baby before medical personnel could arrive.
ANM Namuna Khatri, a health worker at the Phayalgaun Basic Health Centre, said the woman's husband reached the health facility seeking urgent assistance. Khatri then walked to the site with a stretcher.
"By the time I arrived, the baby had already been born, but the placenta had not been delivered," Khatri said. "I provided the necessary post-delivery care, managed the placenta and ensured both the mother and newborn were safe."
After their condition stabilised, the mother was carried home on a stretcher. Khatri also administered intravenous fluids at the house and said both mother and baby are now in stable condition and under regular health monitoring.
She noted that returning the mother to the health facility immediately after childbirth was impractical due to the difficult terrain and distance, making home-based follow-up care the safer option.
Khatri, who has served as a contractual health worker since 2014, said she considers healthcare "a service rather than just a job" and remains available around the clock in the remote municipality.
Read Also: She delivered a baby on a stretcher in the middle of a mountain trail
The incident is the latest in a series of childbirths taking place outside health facilities in Bajura during the monsoon. Only days earlier, another woman in the same rural municipality gave birth on the way to a health post with the assistance of health workers, while a similar case was reported in Gaumul Rural Municipality.
Poor road connectivity, difficult terrain, long distances to health facilities and transport disruptions during the rainy season continue to force many pregnant women in remote Himalayan districts to deliver at home, on trails or in makeshift shelters before reaching medical care.