Responsible ambulance driver and health worker save life of tribal house-wife by ensuring safe delivery at home

By Our Correspondent

Sabroom, July 21, 2026

Health service including vital care for maternity and pediatric patients in remote tribal dominated hilly areas has always been in a pathetic state for a host of reasons. There is no tangible change in this situation even 78 years after independence in Tripura. In an interesting incident in the year 1990 a child-bearing tribal mother belonging to the Jamatya community was being taken on a boat from remote Raisyabari to Gandacherra for delivery but the lady under severe labour pain gave birth to a female infant on the boat itself and survived the trauma. The newborn girl was named ‘Jaladebi’ (water Goddess) Jamatya .

In an uncannily similar incident a tribal mother was made to deliver her first child at home safely with the help and care of driver of ambulance (102) Bidhan Das and health worker Manish Mitra attached to subdivisional hospital in Sabroom town. Both the mother and her baby are now safe and sound. According to information received from Sabroom, it was on last Friday night that the subdivisional hospital authority had received an emergency call for helping a tribal mother in advanced stage of pregnancy deliver her first child. The hospital authority deputed the ambulance driver Bidhan Das and health worker Manish Mitra to evacuate the tribal woman to hospital from remote Magroom area.

With great difficulty driver Bidhan Das and health worker Manish Mitra reached the home of the would-be tribal mother Ratna Debbarma (21) and found her in a critical condition and unable to make the arduous journey to Sabroom hospital . Having consulted the would-be mother’s husband and guardians Bidhan Das and Manish Mitra took the risk of having her deliver her first baby at home. They supervised the entire difficult process and helped Ratna safely deliver a male child. Even as the family members of the new mother Ratna Debbarma were celebrating, Bidhan Das and Manish Mitra told them that the new mother needed to be at the Vaishnabpur primary health centre for post-maternity care . The family including Ratna’s husband agreed and Bidhan Das and Manish Mitra took the new mother and her son to the Vaishnabpur primary health centre where both of them are now well and safe.

The husband and family members of Ratna Debbarma profusely thanked driver Bidhan Das and health worker Manish Mitra for their prompt and sincere service and intelligent decision. The people of remote Magroom also expressed their gratitude to the health worker and the driver. Highly placed medical officials of Sabroom hospital also said that the service rendered by Bidhan Das and Manish Mitra is unique and courageous and this will reinforce peoples faith in health service of the state.

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