A ‘Khairiyat’ (welfare) team of the army posted in a north Kashmir village rescued a woman with pregnancy-related complications by carrying her for many kilometres in waist-deep snow and ensured that she reached hospital in time to give birth to a healthy baby.
The team received a call on Tuesday from a distraught Riyaz Mir, a resident of Dard Pora village near Tangmarg area of Baramulla in north Kashmir, saying his wife was in labour and the family was unable to take her to hospital because of heavy snowfall.
Following the call, the base commander located at Uplona village lost no time and trekked nearly five kilometres along with a resident medical officer to reach the family.
#HumsaayaHainHum 🇮🇳🍁
During heavy snowfall, an expecting mother Mrs Shamima, required emergency hospitalisation. For 4 hours over 100 Army persons & 30 civilians walked with her on stretcher through heavy snow. Baby born in hospital, both mother & child doing fine. #VRWithU4U pic.twitter.com/BpDcXRvuUH— Chinar Corps – Indian Army (@ChinarcorpsIA) January 14, 2020
The entire army unit swung into action and three teams were immediately formed — one cleared the road for the pregnant woman’s movement, the second cleared the snow till the helipad and the third cleared the road till Kanispora, connecting the area with the district headquarters in Baramulla.
Over 100 men from the army and 25 civilians were engaged in the six-hour operation which involved the foot patrol taking the woman on a stretcher to Uplona through waist-deep snow.
Once at Uplona, she was stabilized and immediately taken by an Army ambulance, with the Army Medical Officer, to Baramulla hospital as the soldiers kept clearing the snow ahead of the ambulance as it moved along the snow-covered road.
The army team accompanying the Mir family waited till the woman gave birth to a baby.
The army men truly served the motto ‘awam meri jaan’ (people are our beloved) with their timely action and presence of mind and saved two precious lives.
The mobile numbers of the army camps are shared with the locals with a promise of assured assistance.