No Ambulance In Time: Mother, 32-Week Unborn Baby Dies In Uttarakhand's Devprayag
A 31-year-old pregnant woman and her unborn child died after an alleged ambulance delay in Devprayag, raising concerns over emergency healthcare in hill regions.
Published : January 30, 2026 at 5:44 PM IST
Srinagar: The healthcare system in the hills has shattered a happy family once again. Shikha, the 31-year-old wife of Vinod, a Uttar Pradesh resident working on the Rishikesh-Karnaprayag rail project, and her 32-week-old unborn child died allegedly because an ambulance was not available in time in Uttarakhand.
When a local man offered to drive a vehicle parked at the hospital, authorities reportedly said the steering was faulty.
According to information, the family was temporarily living in Devprayag. On the evening of January 28, around 7 PM, Shikha was cooking when sudden screams were heard from the room. A nearby shopkeeper, Sheeshpal Bhandari, rushed in and found her bleeding heavily. He immediately called a nearby medical store operator and took her to the Community Health Centre (CHC) in Bagi in his own vehicle.
Meanwhile, the medical store owner had called the 108 emergency service. Shikha was conscious and talking when she reached CHC Bagi. Doctors at the centre, considering her critical condition, advised referring her to a higher medical facility.
At CHC Bagi, an ambulance was parked within the hospital premises, but authorities reportedly said the driver was on leave and the vehicle’s steering was not functioning. When Sheeshpal offered to drive the ambulance himself, his request was allegedly ignored.
Nearly two hours after the medical store operator's 108 call, an ambulance arrived around 9 PM. By then, both mother and child died while being transported to Srinagar.
Hospital in-charge Dr Anjana Gupta said the woman was brought to the CHC around 8:15 PM by neighbours and was suffering from excessive bleeding. Doctors tried to stabilise her and had also called 108.
She added that the bleeding reportedly began after the woman fell from the stairs at home. The ambulance stationed at the hospital had no driver as he was on leave.
The incident has raised serious questions over emergency healthcare services in the hills, where the absence of an ambulance driver and faulty equipment allegedly cost two lives.
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