Kollengode (Palakkad): COVID-19 has created several strange situations in the health sector of Kerala. One such incident took place at the Ambedkar Colony in Govindapuram when Baby, an Adivasi woman, developed labour pain.
Around 5.50 am, Pathumma Beevi, a junior public health nurse attached to Muthalamada public health centre (PHC) received a phone call from Baby’s husband Kalimuthu that his wife was in labour. Govindapuram came under the area of the PHC which had a doctor and other health personnel too but only Pathumma Beevi could attend to Baby as all other staff were in quarantine. This was after a COVID-19 patient sought treatment at the PHC.
On getting the call, Beevi immediately contacted Asha worker Deepa Subrahmanian and asked her to enquire. Deepa soon reached Baby’s house and informed Beevi that labour had already started. Beevi then rushed to Baby’s house riding pillion on her husband Ayub Khan’s bike.
Beevi then took the infant safely out of the womb and cut the umbilical cord. It was a baby girl weighing 2.3 kg. An ambulance arranged by the medical officer Dr C R Arun Raj reached Baby’s house soon and both mother and child were taken to hospital, where Pathumma Beevi again attended to them. Later, Baby and the newborn were shifted to the District Hospital, where both were reported to be healthy.
The staff at Muthalamada PHC, including the doctor, were quarantined as a COVID-19 patient had been treated there. However, Pathumma Beevi was exempted as she was on duty at a check-post.
