No Ambulance Or Doctor, Pregnant Woman Carried On Shoulders, Baby Dies

With no proper road and ambulance in the village, the woman's family had no choice but to carry her on their shoulders for kilometres down rocky paths

30 May 2026, 18:20 · www.ndtv.com

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A pregnant woman lost her baby after a difficult journey to medical care in J&K's Kishtwar district
The family carried her on foot for kilometres due to lack of roads and ambulances in Marwah
The primary health centre in Nawapachi lacked a gynaecologist when they arrived for help

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Jammu:

In the mountains of Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar district, childbirth is still a battle. Shaista Begum of Deharna village in the district's Marwah tehsil lost her baby on Saturday. Begum went into labour in the afternoon. With no proper road and ambulance in the village, her family carried her on their shoulders for kilometres down rocky paths to reach the road.

They hired a vehicle to a primary health centre in Nawapachi, only to find no gynaecologist was on duty. With no specialist care in Marwah, the family - not to waste time - spent their savings and started a 120-km journey to the Government Medical College in Anantnag.

The route passes through Margan Pass, where sharp turns remain under snow even in late May. The baby did not survive the journey and died inside the mother's womb.

"Every pregnancy here is a gamble with death," her husband Nasir Hussain Lone said. "We have a PHC in name, but no doctor inside. When labour starts, we carry our women and pray the mountains don't take them."

Marwah valley is home to over 30,000 people, yet has no specialist care. Locals say the PHC in Nawapachi serves dozens of villages, but often runs without doctors. Pregnant women are routinely referred to Anantnag or Kishtwar towns, both over 100 km away on dangerous roads.

The crisis worsens in winter when Margan Pass closes due to heavy snow, cutting off the valley for months with no emergency access. Villagers are now demanding a gynaecologist and a 24-hour ambulance at PHC Marwah.

"How many more mothers must we carry before the government listens? How many more babies must we lose?" an elderly man in Deharna said.

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