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Mom dies bleeding as spells fail
BAJURA, APR 12 -
A pregnant woman from Bajura district died of excessive bleeding during delivery as her family members chose not to take the writhing woman to health centre and break the family tradition.
While 21-year old Mainadevi Rawat of Selapakha in Barabise VDC was in labour pain and bleeding profusely, ‘witch doctors’ were trying out their spells and remedies on her, but to no avail. She died after 12 agonising hours, giving birth to a baby.
Rawat’s family members believed the five witch doctors from the village when they claimed that some evil spirit had possessed her, thus triggering the pain and bleeding.
“The witch doctors were asking the family members to make offerings to deities to exorcise the evil even when it was obvious that she could die of profuse bleeding,” neighbour Prakash Singh said, adding that repeated attempts from some villagers to persuade the family to rush Rawat to the health centre were of no use.
Locals said Rawat was not taken to the health centre as the family—like many others in the village—believed that a pregnant woman should not be allowed to leave the house. The family could have sent for a health worker when Rawat’s condition was deteriorating, but did not. “Presence of male around a woman giving birth is also proscribed,” said Singh, who happens to be a health worker.
Barabise is considered well-facilitated in terms of health services. It has a health centre, private clinics and health workers — a lot compared to other VDCs of Bajura. Incidentally, there are also villages like Selapakha in Barabise where people stick to tradition even if it means health hazard or death.
“She could have lived to raise her newborn, but the family’s refusal to cross over their custom cost her life eventually,” said Dirgha Bahadur Shahi. He said lack of education was mainly to blame for this kind of death.
Posted on: 2010-04-13 06:57
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