Tribal woman forced to deliver baby on road in Maharashtra’s Jalgaon; locals say ambulance did not arrive

A pregnant woman was forced to deliver her child by the roadside in want of an ambulance in Jalgaon. pic.twitter.com/aRdrnrS7ZM

— Express Pune Resident Editor (@ExpressPune) May 28, 2025

A short video shows the two women assisting Santabai Barela deliver her baby on the side of the road behind a blanket held by two other women. The woman, whose due date was May 25, had experienced severe labour pains on May 21, and her husband, Viswanath, took her on his bike as an ambulance was not available.

Her labour pain intensified when they were just about 1.5 km from the PHC, and she had to deliver on the road. In the video, Viswanath can be heard saying they are waiting for more than 30 minutes, but no one came to their help.

When asked about the video, District Collector Prasad said the women who assisted Barela in the delivery were a trained midwife and an Anganwadi worker, who had accompanied her. Prasad acknowledged that Barela delivered on the road as her labour pains increased. “Local citizens promptly informed the PHC medical officer, who immediately dispatched an ambulance to transport Santabai and her newborn to the centre,” Prasad said.

However, Shinde said it was not true. “In the want of an ambulance or any help, the husband took the woman on his bike towards the PHC,” she said. Shinde said the incident showed the serious gaps in the public health care system of the district. “Despite having three ministers, this incident happened in Jalgaon,” she said.

The incident came to light when the collector was briefed about this during the meeting of Nav Sanjeevani

— a special scheme for maternal and child health in tribal areas. “An inquiry has been ordered through the district health officer and civil surgeon to investigate all aspects of the case,” Prasad said.

Both the mother and the child are said to be in good health.