A woman gave birth to quadruplets inside a rickshaw while being taken to hospital in Mandla district of Madhya Pradesh. All four newborns died shortly after birth, PTI reported.
The woman’s family claimed that the absence of an ambulance forced them to rely on private transportation, which led to the tragedy. Health officials said the babies died because they were born prematurely and were underdeveloped.
The woman turned after labor pains
According to PTI, Rajni Singaram, a resident of Naigaon village, suffered labor pains during the seventh month of her pregnancy and was initially taken to the government health center in Gotha in a private vehicle.
District Chief Medical and Health Officer Dr D G Mohanty said that due to her critical condition, she was referred to the Bhichia Community Health Centre. She was then transported in a rickshaw.
However, before reaching the hospital, Rajni gave birth to four babies inside the car.
“The four children, three girls and a boy, died because they were premature and each weighed about 1.5 kilograms,” Mohanty said.
The official added that the mother was admitted to the community health center in Pichia and is now out of danger.
The family blames the lack of an ambulance
The woman’s relatives claimed that they called the emergency ambulance service shortly after she went into labor, but the ambulance did not arrive.
According to PTI, the family then arranged a hearse to take her to the hospital.
Her husband, Ganesh Singaram, claimed that the children could have survived if the ambulance had arrived on time.
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Management is responding
Responding to the family’s allegations, Mandla District Magistrate Rahul Namdev Dhote said he had not received any complaint about the incident.
The judge said that if a complaint is received, the matter will be investigated and necessary measures will be taken.
While the family blamed the deaths on alleged delays in medical transportation, health authorities confirmed that the newborns suffered complications resulting from premature birth and incomplete growth.
The incident has drawn attention to emergency medical transport in rural areas, even as officials and family give differing accounts of what led to the death of the four newborns.
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