Lokmat News Network
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:
The state government has launched five schemes worth Rs 771 crore to ensure safe motherhood. However, the Aurangabad bench of the Bombay High Court had earlier questioned how tribal women in remote areas are still deprived of safe motherhood, taking suo motu cognisance of a news report on the issue.
The government had submitted an affidavit earlier. On Friday, the division bench of justice Vibha Kankanwadi and justice Hiten Venegaonkar directed the competent authority to submit an affidavit on revised points within three weeks. The next hearing in this suo motu public interest litigation (PIL) has been scheduled for April 21.
What was the incident?
In Dhadgaon tehsil of Nandurbar district, a 40-year-old woman delivered a stillborn baby during her eighth delivery. The woman reportedly cut the umbilical cord herself using a blade at home.
Additionally, two male traditional birth attendants (‘dais’) from Dhadgaon and Akkalkuwa tehsils claimed in an interview that they had conducted hundreds of deliveries. They even stated that they had cut the umbilical cord using an arrow and bamboo blade to deliver the babies.
Shocking reality
Terming the incident extremely shocking, the bench took suo motu cognisance of the matter. To assist the court, advocate Geeta Deshpande was appointed as amicus curiae.
The bench sought detailed information through an affidavit from the competent authorities regarding the available government healthcare infrastructure, resources and manpower in tribal-dominated Nandurbar district and the Kinwat region of Nanded district.
Why beneficiaries remain deprived of schemes
During the previous hearing, chief government pleader Amarjeetsingh Girase informed the court that some parts of Nandurbar district have become isolated due to the Narmada reservoir. These areas can be accessed only by boat, and patients often have to be carried in palanquins (‘dolis’) to hospitals.
In hilly regions like Toranmal, there are no primary health centres. Even where such centres exist, adequate facilities and staff are not available. Moreover, government employees are often unwilling to work in these remote tribal areas, he said.