Over 1000 pregnant women shifted to hospitals in view of cyclonic storm 'Fani'

With the 'extremely severe' cyclonic storm 'Fani' fast approaching the east coast, the Odisha government Thursday issued instructions to shift women in their advanced stage of pregnancy to nearby hospitals, as part of its evacuation drive in the coastal areas. A massive operation is underway in the state to evacuate over eight lakh people from low-lying coastal areas in view of the imminent tropical storm.

"More than 1000 pregnant women have been admitted in different hospitals. "As Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had given specific instruction to take care of women, children and elderly persons during the storm, we shifted the pregnant women to hospitals on a priority basis," Sangram Mohapatra, the spokesperson at the special relief commissioner's office (SRC), said.

Women in their advanced stage of pregnancy are among the most vulnerable sections of people likely to be affected by the storm, he said, adding that expectant mothers in their 36th week of pregnancy or more will be given priority. At least 14 Odisha districts - Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Balasore, Bhadrak, Ganjam, Khurda, Jajpur, Nayagarh, Cuttack, Gajapati, Mayurbhanj, Dhenkanal and Keonjhar - are expected to bear the brunt of the cyclonic storm, which is also likely to impact Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.

Dasarathi Satpathy, the Kendrapara district collector, said accredited social health activists (ASHAs) have been entrusted with the responsibility of shifting the pregnant women to hospitals. "Altogether, 631 pregnant women living in cyclone- susceptible pockets of Kendrapara were found out to be in their advanced stage. We are hopeful that all of them will moved to hospitals by tonight," he said.

Explaining the reason behind the move, Mohapatra said previous experiences have prompted the administration to shift these women to hospitals. "We have noticed in the past that pregnant women are among the worst suffers during a calamity. They often get panicky and arranging for medical aid for them in the shelter homes becomes a problem," he added. While India's east coast is prone to cyclones, Odisha is probably twice as vulnerable when compared to other states. According to a report, the state has endured 98 cyclones between 1891 and 2000.

A source in the SRC office said 302 Rapid Response Teams have been set up in cyclone-prone areas, each comprising a doctor, a pharmacist and an attendant. This apart, 936 medical relief camps have been formed to look after the well-being of the people, he added. According to the latest IMD bulletin, Fani lays centred over West Central Bay of Bengal, about 430 km south- southwest of Puri in Odisha, 225 km south-southeast of Vishakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh and 650 km south-southwest of Digha in West Bengal.