Pregnant woman carried in cloth sling for 5 km, dies on way to hosp in Gujarat

A 35-year-old pregnant woman, suffering labour pain, couldn’t survive the stressful march to the hospital in a cloth sling and died on the way on Monday. Her family carried her in the makeshift sling for five kilometres from Khaidi Phalia in Chhota Udepur, because there is no road to their hamlet.

- DILIP SINGH KSHATRIYA

This case highlights the deadly consequences of ongoing neglect in Gujarat’s tribal belt, where—despite 78 years of independence many villages still lack basic infrastructure.

The woman went into severe labour pain around 4 pm. With no motorable road connecting Khaidi Phalia to the nearby Savda Phalia, her family prepared a sling and lifted her onto their shoulders, and walked across rough terrain. After an exhausting trek, they reached a point where an 108 ambulance could pick her up.