Woman delivers baby on NDRF rescue boat in flood-hit Bihar

East Champaran (Bihar) [India], July 26 : The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) helped a pregnant woman deliver a baby after the later was rescued from a flood-hit village on Bihar's East Champaran district on Sunday.
After receiving information, a team of 9 Battalion NDRF reached the Gobari village by boat to rescue 25-year-old Rima Devi, who was in an advanced stage of pregnancy.
The team was earlier engaged in search and rescue operation near the same village, after a drowning incident.
The NDRF team was helped by an ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) worker, who helped them tackle the situation. After assessing the pregnant woman's condition, the NDRF team decided to evacuate her to the nearby Primary Health Centre in Banjariya.
The woman developed labour pain, during the course of evacuation. After noticing the same, the NDRF team, accompanied by the ASHA worker and the woman's family members, decided to help the expecting mother deliver on the boat itself in the flood water of river Burhi Gandak.
After the woman delivered a baby girl, both the mother and the newborn were shifted to the health centre in an ambulance. Their condition was found to be stable.
A total of 21 teams of NDRF have been deployed in 12 districts of Bihar to tackle the flood situation in the state. Two teams are deployed in the East Champaran district.
NDRF personnel are trained in Medical First Responder. Talking to media, Commandant Vijay Sinha, of the Bihta-based 9 Battalion of NDRF said, "NDRF personnel is trained in Medical First Responder and due course of professional training all rescuers are taught handling of childbirth during an emergency along with other disaster response training."
According to Sinha, this is the 10th childbirth (including a pair of twins) on rescue boat of 9 Battalion NDRF while evacuating expecting mothers from flood-hit areas since 2013.