Daijiworld Media Network - Kalaburagi (SP)

Kalaburagi, Nov 13: A staff nurse of the primary health centre of Kollur village in Chittapur taluk in the district performed a delivery successfully by relying on mobile torchlights. The devotion and sincerity of the nurse have come in for lavish appreciation. District health and family welfare officer, Dr Rajashekhar Wali too has praised the nurse for showing the courage, conviction and duty consciousness in the case.

At sound 10 pm on Tuesday, a pregnant lady, Siddamma Hanumanthappa, underwent labour pain. Her relatives brought her to Kollur primary health centre. As labour pain aggravated, staff nurse Nageshwari Bennurkar, prepared to perform her delivery. But at around 11 pm, the power supply went off and the entire hospital plunged into darkness. The inverter at the hospital was not working. Even though calls were made to the electricity supply company, no one received the call. Even after two hours, power was not restored. Nageshwari then took the initiative to perform the delivery.

She performed the delivery under the lights emanating from mobile phones of four people. At about 4 am, Siddamma gave birth to a male baby. It was a normal delivery, and both the mother and child are safe. They went home on Thursday morning.

Dr Rajashekhar Wali said that he knows the importance of electricity during deliveries. He congratulated the staff nurse Nageshwari for not losing heart under trying circumstances.

The district health officer said that all the medical officers in the district were asked to make arrangements for precautionary measures if deliveries happen at night. He said he had asked for separate inverters for the labour room even when there is another inverter or generator in hospitals, duly adding that additional equipment will be sanctioned wherever necessary. He said he has issued a show cause notice for the absence of the medical officer at the headquarters on Wednesday night.

Staff nurse Nageshwari M Bennurkar said that she and many other staff nurses have still been working on a contract basis. However, she says, she never neglects her duty. She says that her only demand is to absorb the services of the nurses on a permanent basis.