BAJURA, FEBRUARY 16
Eight new mothers have lost their lives for want of treatment in the last three years in Bajura.
Five women lost their lives in 2019-20, one lost her life in 2020-21 and two lost their lives in 2021-22.
Pulti Rawal of Ward 5 of Jagannath Rural Municipality, Basanti Nepali of Ward 10 of Badimalika Municipality-10, and Nirmala Bohora of Ward 10 of Budhinanda Municipality lost their lives for lack of treatment in 2019-20. Likewise, Rejiya Nepali of Ward 1 of Triveni Municipality and Kamala Ukhed of Ward 7 of Budhiganga Municipality died untimely deaths for want of medical care.
Ambakala Rokaya of Ward 4 of Budhinanda Municipality lost her life in 2020-21. Rokaya died while being rushed to Kolti Primary Health Centre after she could not deliver the baby.
Jailadevi BK of Triveni Municipality died due to excessive bleeding ten days after she gave birth to a baby in 2021. BK died after she could not receive proper treatment. Similarly, Ganga Chadar of Himali Rural Municipality died owing to profuse bleeding in Himali Rural Municipality in the month of September 2021.
Ganga had also delivered a stillborn. She had undergone labour pain soon after she returned home after cutting grass from the forest.
Badimalika Municipality Health Coordinator Tek Bahadur Khadka said that lack of awareness was behind the death of new mothers. "Lack of regular pregnancy check-up, lack of nutritious food, and hard labour are behind the death of new mothers and expectant mothers," Khadka said.
Although the government has launched air rescue programme in Bajura, the new-mothers continue to die due to lack of proper parturition services.
A version of this article appears in the print on February 17, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.
