Lamjung, 24th December: Rajkumari Gurung, a senior ANM of Kwolasothar Rural Municipality in Lamjung, is very happy after the ‘Baby Left’ machine was installed in the delivery room along with the new building of Maling Primary Hospital.
She, who has been providing maternity services at the Maling Primary Health Post for 30 years, said that in the past, it was a lot of trouble to protect newborns from the cold, and said that she was happy after the installation of the ‘Baby Bam’ (a device that warms babies). “To protect newborn babies, heaters used to be used. Now, the newly constructed hospital has a baby-warming device,” said Gurung. “With this device, babies can be protected from the cold. We used to deliver babies in a cramped room, but now we are happy to have a building.”
The construction of Maling Primary Hospital located in Kwolasothar Rural Municipality of Lamjung has been completed on December 19. With the inauguration of the hospital by Minister for Communications and Information Technology Prithvi Subba Gurung, locals are happy to be receiving quality services at the local level.
Senior ANM Gurung is a local here. She has been delivering babies for thirty years and is overjoyed to have a well-equipped delivery room with the necessary equipment and equipment to keep newborns warm. She said that earlier she had to deliver babies in risky conditions, but now it is easier to provide services and effective protection can be provided to the mother and baby.
Gurung looked at the baby equipment in the hospital’s delivery room for a long time. Upon receiving the equipment needed for newborns, he was happy to receive such good health services, recalling the many challenges he had faced while providing maternity services in the village for 30 years. “Thirty years ago, it was customary in the village for midwives to deliver babies. I was called only when the midwife was unable to deliver babies at any home,” Gurung said.
“Gurung, who has always been a health worker, would walk four to five hours to reach the doorstep for service. Some would have a ‘normal delivery’. Some would have urinary retention. Some would have a blocked fallopian tube, some would not be able to give birth for a long time. No one would remember her when she had a good and easy delivery. Only when there were complications during delivery, she would remember herself,” she shared her past experiences.
Gurung said that there are still many moments that make his body shiver when he recalls the service he provided as a health worker. An incident that happened three decades ago continues to haunt him. Sharing her experience, she said, “It was the month of Mangsir (Nov/Dec), winter. Society was not as liberal as it is now in terms of caste. In a society where it is believed that Dalits are not welcome, it was challenging to go to a Dalit’s home and provide delivery services.” She feels that as soon as she entered the health service, she moved forward with the determination to dedicate her life to human service, and she has the courage to face any challenge.
Gurung said that in the eyes of a health worker, there is no caste or religion, only humanity and service. “A woman from the Dalit community was in labor. As soon as I came to know, I went to her house. After two days of long pain, the woman gave birth to a son. The family started to be happy to hear that they had a son. They started telling their relatives and neighbors. Even after the delivery, I was worried. The newborn baby was suffocating. He was not able to breathe. The baby was neither crying nor making any sound. I was terrified,” she said sadly.
Gurung said that after telling the family that the baby was not breathing, everyone started crying, but she immediately put his mouth on the baby’s mouth and started breathing. “After about half an hour, the baby started screaming and crying. When the baby cried, the whole family started laughing with joy. Today, I am happy to give life to a newborn baby and started crying with the baby,” she said.
She has the experience of crying with uncontrollable tears when a child cries. The child she gave his life to with all his heart is now studying in grade 5. Seeing that child studying in the village school fills Gurung’s heart with love. She said, “I look at his face. And I smile and just say thank you to God.”
Gurung said that the most valuable asset she has earned as a health worker is the safety of the mother and child. When it comes to the responsibility of delivering a baby, he even puts aside festivals. On one day, Dashain, she was busy at the maternity home for three days. Dashain was over. Gurung returned home only after delivering the baby. “Dashain was over, I didn’t even realize it,” she recounted.
The government has been providing Rs 255 per person for coming to the hospital to deliver a baby. When she goes to the village to deliver a baby, she has helped poor families by giving them money, clothes, and food. “There are some who cannot even buy a clean piece of cloth after giving birth. In such cases, I have arranged for the clothes myself,” Gurung said. Sometimes, she said, she even raises the necessary funds to take the baby to the district hospital when it is not possible to deliver the baby.
“They start crying saying they need to be sent to the hospital immediately, saying they don’t have the money,” Gurung said. “At times like these, sometimes I manage the expenses myself, sometimes with others, and most of them are honest and give back.” Gurung never keeps accounts in service. She feels that health workers are more of a social worker than a professional. She is happy that a birthing center with a well-organized building has now been opened in the municipality. Gurung is even more excited by the news that an ambulance will be arranged in the municipality within a few months.
Kholasothar Rural Municipality Chairman Surya Prasad Gurung said that the municipality is in the process of procuring necessary materials, including ambulances, to make the newly constructed health hospital operational. He also praised Gurung, saying that honest, hardworking and dedicated health workers like her are always needed in the health sector.
