Do not Panic while Handling Emergencies

EMT Sharmila succeed in fight out age-old practice of home delivers in Thanipadi

By J Shanmugha Sundaram

Published: 03rd April 2015

Vellore: Thirty five year-old emergency medical technician (EMT) with the 108 ambulance network, A Sharmila, has not only saved several lives in need of medical care in the last six years, but she has also  weeded out the age-old practice of unsafe home deliveries in rural pockets and hilly areas in and around Thanipadi in Thandrampat Taluk in Tiruvannamalai district.

She, indeed, attended 81 deliveries on board in the last six years. Recounting her first case of attending a pregnant woman, who developed labour pain, in the year 2009 in Keeranur, she said it was a rude shock for her on seeing a woman sitting atop of the pregnant woman’s stomach in kneeling position.

“We received a call from tribal village with poor connectivity. When I reached the spot in the ambulance, I was shocked to see a woman sitting on the pregnant woman and pressing her stomach to push the baby out. The woman sitting atop of the pregnant woman said that she did this to the pregnant woman to deliver the baby,” said Sharmila, who was a like a doctor to many antenatal women in the tribal areas in Thanipadi.

“The pregnant woman was bleeding excessively. We immediately shifted the woman in the ambulance and moving towards the nearby hospital. But she delivered the baby on board,” she continued.

  It took a lot of efforts to dissuade the rural dwellers and tribals from the age-old practice. “We conducted 12 demonstrations to educate the rural dwellers and tribals living in tough terrain in Tiruvannamalai about the safe and hygienic institutional deliveries. Now, the home deliveries have became a thing of past,” said Sharmila.

'Do not Panic while Handling Emergencies'

VELLORE: Thirty-year-old emergency medical technician (EMT) Sharmila, who has saved lives and also worked hard to weed out the age-old practice of unsafe home deliveries in rural areas, was felicitated for her service along with five other EMTs - A Charles, Krishnan Kumaravel, E Ramarajan, Dhamodharan and Ponnurangam - of Vellore and Tiruvannamalai districts for attending the most number of life-saving cases in the last one year.

District project coordinator of TN Health Systems Project Dr A Kennedy handed over the certificates to the six EMTs and applauded their service.

Ramarajan, sharing his experience in attending emergency cases advised his fellow EMTs not to panic, get emotional or angry while attending to accident victims or any persons in need of medical care. “If we overcome emotions and panic we can render the best service and reach a patient to the hospital within the golden hour,” he said.

The emergency medical personnel also handle several calls when rural people suffer snake bites.