NCC cadets help woman deliver onboard train
Neha, who was pregnant and had boarded the train with her husband Chintu at Mairwa station in Bihar, started complaining of restlessness.
NCC cadets are trained to tackle emergencies. But, certainly not the one the cadets of 15 UP (Girls) Battalion, Gorakhpur handled, with precision, on Wednesday.
On their way to attend training camp in Bareilly, the group of 26 cadets, along with their instructor, helped a pregnant woman deliver onboard the Bagh Express.
“It was a challenging task but since frantic calls for help to the railways failed to elicit response after our co-passenger Neha Singh went into her labour onboard the long-haul train, we decided to take charge and help her deliver. Thankfully, it all went well and both the mother and her baby boy are safe,” said Seema Rai, girls cadet instructor (GCI).
It all began during on Wednesday evening when the cadets boarded the S4 coach of Bagh Express from Gorakhpur.
Little later, Neha, who was pregnant and had boarded the train with her husband Chintu at Mairwa station in Bihar, started complaining of restlessness.
“They were going to her relative’s place in Hardoi for the delivery but her labour pain started soon after the journey began,” said Seema, who along with other cadets, was enjoying the journey until Neha’s pain became unbearable.
“We could no longer ignore her and started making calls on railway helplines for help. But, we got response,” said Seema.
Strangely, other co-passengers also did not do much to help her.
“This is when we took charge,” she said, who asked her co-cadets to assemble and help in the process.
“I asked the cadets to collect the resources, such as clean cloth, clean bed-sheets, thread, needle, clean water and the first aid box, which NCC cadets carry most of the time,” said Seema, a mother of two.
“We first tried to pacify the panicky mother and then managed to ensure a successful delivery. It was almost a 4-hour long exercise,” she said.
“While there was jubilation all around, we soon realized that the baby was born, but the battle was not over yet as we had nothing to clip the umbilical cord,” she recalled.
But then a cadet came up with thread, which he had in his kitty to stitch buttons.
“It worked well and we tied the cord,” she said.
At Lucknow station, a doctor was waiting as the train staff had already alerted the railway official.
The wounds were stitched and umbilical cord was re-sized and soon the couple left for their destination.
“It is hard to express in words the feelings I had when I held the baby for the first time. He was so cute that we called him little Simba,” said Seema.
Subedaar S Chelapandi of Army Medical Corps, who was also onboard and played a crucial role in the entire ‘operation’, suggested that railways should depute at least one doctor in a long distance trains.
Pankaj Kumar Singh, chief public relation officer, NER said, “This was purely a case of miscommunication as they couldn’t get a positive response from the helpline numbers. They could have also tweeted in order to get the possible help. Passengers’ health and safety is among the top most priorities of the railways.”