Delivery at Jorhat’s Bhimpara sapori
With the Brahmaputra in full spate and floods ravaging Assam again, Boat Clinic teams in all 15 districts units have been actively involved in providing medical help to the affected people and in relief and rescue operations in close coordination with district administration.While on a routine health trip, the Jorhat Boat Clinic team helped 21 year old Chimpi Bora from the remote Bhimpara sapori(sand bar )deliver a healthy male baby on 21st September 2012. The newly appointed MO Dr Gautam Das, GNM Elizabeth Kom successfully conducted the delivery. The woman was under labour and in severe pain since morning in her flood submerged home and there was no way she could be taken to a health centre for delivery as all road connections were closed. The local Asha,Majan Bora requested the Boat Clinic team, while the Boat was anchored at Bhimpara to attend to the woman at her house. Wading through knee high water the team reached the villager’s home and assisted her in the delivery. There was severe flood and erosion at Bhimpara that day. All villages near Bhimpara were badly affected. The Boat Clinic was the only hope for the pregnant lady and her household.
This was the third delivery conducted by the Jorhat Boat Clinic, the first was in Februaray 2011,the second in August 2011 and eleventh successful, safe delivery conducted on the boat clinics till date – Five in Dibrugarh, two in Dhemaji, one in Barpeta and three in Jorhat. .The Boat Clinic health outreach programme reaches out to the state’s vulnerable population who live on islands on the Brahmaputra with a special focus on women and children. Providing ANC, PNC checkups along with advocating institutional deliveries has been priority with all the health teams especially crucial for a state like Assam which has India’s worst Maternal Mortality rate at 390, higher than Bihar or Uttar Pradesh, and a high Infant Mortality Rate.
Dr Gautam Das (right in white) and the team on way for the delivery wading through flood waters.