Field Staff Brave Infection Risk to Save Lives

On 15th June, just before noon, women in the quarantine centre in Shree Gyanendra Secondary School at Nishikhola Rural Municipality of Baglung started panicking when one occupant of the centre Raimati BK went into labour. They immediately sought help and before any arrangement could have been made, she gave birth to a baby. She received little help from other occupants due to fear of coronavirus infection.

Raimati was bleeding heavily and the placenta was still inside. The newly born baby was struggling with respiration. As soon as this news reached social mobilizer of RHIP-II project Gyan Kumari Budha and in-charge of local community health unit Diya Sunar, they reached the centre without delay with necessary delivery kit to help the mother and her child. Though Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) was not available, the duo decided to risk infection and go for help after donning minimum protection items including face mask and gloves.

First they cut the navel cord and help pull the placenta out. After giving necessary medication to the mother, the baby was cleaned with a piece of clean cloth and was kept against the mother's chest to make the baby warm. After a while, the baby's breathing was eased. When everything was under control, the baby boy was weighed and he was of normal weight. The mother, along with her infant, was sent for home quarantine after her swab sample was collected to test for Covid-19.

The unit in-charge Diya Sunar and the social mobilizer Gyan Kumari Budha were also requested to remain in home quarantine until the PCR report of the postpartum mother was revealed. This vital support from RHIP-II social mobilizer was highly praised by the unit in-charge while health coordinator Top Bahadur Chand, East Nishi health post in-charge Bhumi Raj Gharti Magar, elected local representatives, local health post in-charge Juni Gharti Magar, in-charge of local police station, family of the postpartum mother, and the community people expressed their gratitude for saving the lives of the mother and her baby.