A 21-year-old woman and her newborn child lost their lives on the way to a health centre due to a lack of timely medical attention in Bajhang highlighting the pathetic status of the health services in the country. Videos of the incident, showing villagers struggling to carry the woman along steep and treacherous terrain, have gone viral on social media, highlighting the dire state of healthcare access in rural Nepal.

The deceased, identified as Sabita Bohara of Dudil Gaun in Kedarsyu Rural Municipality-1, had gone into labour on Sunday afternoon. Despite experiencing labour pains, her family delayed taking her to a health centre. Early Monday morning, her condition worsened, prompting the family to carry her towards the nearest health post. However, she gave birth to a son on the way at around 5 am. Both mother and child died shortly after due to complications and lack of immediate medical care.

According to local ward member Padam Prasad Bhatta, efforts to seek assistance were made as soon as the situation escalated. “I contacted the Deura Primary Health Centre at 5:15 am requesting an ambulance, but it arrived only at 6:30 am, by which time both lives were lost,” Bhatta said.

The health post, located just half an hour away by road, was unreachable via ambulance or other vehicles due to the lack of proper infrastructure. Family members and neighbours carried the woman through the difficult terrain, but their efforts proved futile.

Dr Rohit Giri, chief of the Deura Health Centre, said excessive bleeding and hypothermia likely caused the deaths. He stated that if the family had sought medical help earlier, the chances of saving both lives would have been higher.

Sabita’s husband, who works as a labourer in Bangalore, India, had been informed and was on his way back. Married only last year, Sabita had been living with her in-laws in Dudil.

This incident underscores the lack of healthcare facilities in remote areas like Bajhang, where basic services such as birthing centres remain unavailable. Local authorities acknowledged the pressing need for birthing centres in the region. “We have been pushing for a birthing centre, but bureaucratic delays and lack of funding have held us back,” Ganesh Bahadur Bohara said.

Bajhang has witnessed several such tragedies in recent years. In 2022, a pregnant woman from Biralsein village died on the way to the hospital due to similar delays. The District Health Office reported that in the last fiscal year, three mothers and five newborns lost their lives in Bajhang, with several deaths occurring outside health facilities.