‘She died in my arms’: Families recall scramble for blood, transport, and better care

She was among 53 women who died between April 2025 and March 2026 in the state’s Sidhi district before, during or after childbirth; The Indian Express spoke to the families of 20.

* In September last year, the family of Geeta Kol, 31, from Baghailla in Majhauli, was told by the district hospital in Sidhi that she needed AB-positive blood. “They did not have it. Private hospitals were asking Rs 12,000–13,000 for one bag,” her brother-in-law, Betu Rawat, claimed. Geeta died on September 22, 2025, in transit, with severe anaemia listed as the cause.

* Beena Baiga, 21, from Naikni in Rampur Naikin, delivered at a primary health centre in Pondi. “Thirty minutes later, she started bleeding heavily,” her husband Anuj Baiga said. She was referred to Sidhi, then to Rewa. On November 14, 2025, while still on the road, she died near Gurh of postpartum haemorrhage with a retained placenta. “I kept telling her, keep your eyes open… everything will be fine. She died in my arms,” he said.

* For Sangeeta Singh, 22, from Chhuhi in Majhauli, a chain of transfers preceded her death. She was taken to a local hospital at 8 pm, kept there until 5 am, then sent to Sidhi and quickly referred to Rewa. She died en route on December 28, 2025, of acute hepatic failure. “We could not get an ambulance at the right time,” her husband Ajay Singh said. “I even had to pay Rs 200 and feed the driver.”

* In Khairahi, Seeta Bai Sahu, 25, went into labour late at night. An ambulance took her to Marwas, where she delivered around midnight. An hour later, she was told to leave for Sidhi. “The ambulance tyre was punctured,” her husband Mangleshwar claimed. He borrowed Rs 2,000 and woke up his neighbours so they could take him. At the district hospital, doctors identified blood loss; he donated blood. “They said she was saved,” he said. But by 4 am, she was dead. Seeta Bai died on December 12, 2025, with severe anaemia recorded.

* For Lalita Rajak, 30, from Godahi in Sihawal, the first sign was a headache. By the time her husband Vijay found a vehicle in the rain, her condition had worsened. They first diverted to Deosar, then to Sidhi, and were referred onward to Rewa. “The doctors said she may or may not survive; you have to rush,” he said. By then, she was unconscious. The family, bonded labourers in Singrauli, had already spent up to Rs 30,000. Lalita died on July 22, 2025, of meningitis, leaving a nine-year-old daughter.

* Sunita Kol, 31, from Pondi, had been unwell for weeks. After treatment at a private hospital and a PHC, she was taken to Sidhi and then referred to Rewa when labour began. “They refused to admit her, saying there was a blood shortage,” her husband Anish Kol claimed. “An hour later, she was referred out.” She died in the ambulance on October 31, 2025, of severe anaemia. “If they had told me 30 minutes earlier, she could have been saved,” he said