Mumbai: Tribal woman dies of heart attack during delivery in Palghar

A 31yearold tribal woman tragically passed away during childbirth at a hospital in Maharashtrarsquos Palghar district an official confirmed on Friday The incident which occurred on Tuesday night has raised concerns regarding the challenges faced by expectant mothers in remote tribal areasAccording to PTI reports the woman identified as Kunta Vaibhav Padvale from Galtare village in Vikramgad taluka was initially admitted to a local hospital after she went into labour Given the complications she was subsequently referred to the governmentrun Patangshah Cottage Hospital in Jawhar a facility that serves as a key medical centre for the regionDespite medical efforts to ensure a safe delivery Kunta Padvale tragically succumbed during childbirth As per PTI Medical Superintendent Bharat Mahale of the Jawhar hospital stated that the woman appeared to be in good health initially but she suffered a fatal heart attack during delivery Unfortunately despite the medical teamrsquos best efforts they were unable to save both the mother and the babyThe body of the deceased woman has been sent for postmortem to determine any additional medical factors contributing to her death as stated by the hospital authoritiesMumbai Pregnant woman dies in ambulance lacking oxygen in PalgharA 26yearoldpregnant womanfrom Maharashtras Palghar district tragically lost her life along with her unborn child while being transported to a hospital in an ambulance lacking oxygen support and necessary medical facilities officials confirmed on WednesdayThe incident which occurred on Tuesday evening has once again brought the spotlight on the lack of adequate healthcare services in tribal and rural regions The woman identified as Pinki Dongarkar a resident of Sarni village was in critical condition and rushed by her family to Kasa rural hospital However due to complications arising from her condition including Intrauterine Fetal Death IUFD ndash a condition where the foetus dies in the womb ndash hospital staff referred her to Silvassa city in the neighbouring Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli for further treatmentAccording to PTI reports despite desperate attempts by her family to secure a specialisedambulanceequipped with oxygen and medical support via the 108 emergency service their requests went unanswered Instead they were provided with a regular ambulance by Kasa rural hospital Tragically the woman succumbed to her complications en route to Silvassa and the foetus did not survivePalghar Civil Surgeon Dr Ramdas Marad expressed deep regret over the incident stating that had the woman been brought to the hospital earlier her life might have been saved He highlighted the longstanding issue of inadequate ambulance services in the region which the health department has raised multiple times with authorities The lack of specialised ambulances including those equipped with oxygen and cardiac support continues to plague healthcare services in Palghar Dr Marad notedThe Civil Surgeon further explained that upon arriving at the Kasa hospital the woman was semiconscious and exhibited signs of severe infection He reiterated that issues with the privatelyoperated 108 emergency service such as high demand often lead to delays in providing lifesaving transportationPalghar BJP MP Dr Hemant Savara termed the incident extremely saddening and demanded immediate corrective action The ambulance services must have adequate facilities including oxygen and cardiac support A doctor should also accompany the patient to ensure proper medical attention during transit I will personally follow up on this matter with the government to prevent such tragedies in the future he told PTICPIM leader and MLA from Dahanu Vinod Nikole also criticised the state government for its lack of action in improving healthcare facilities in tribal areas Nikole alleged that despite raising the issue during his previous tenure no measures were taken to address the problem The government has displayed apathy towards critical healthcare needs in rural regions while prioritising other schemes such as theLadki Bahin Yojana he remarked according to PTIThis tragic incident underscores the urgent need for systemic reforms to improve healthcare services in rural and tribal areas The lack of timely access to equipped ambulances has not only cost the lives of the woman and her unborn child but also serves as a stark reminder of the pressing gaps in public health infrastructureLocal officials politicians and healthcare advocates have called for immediate attention to these issues to ensure no family endures such avoidable tragedies in the future