A group of seven women with no medical knowledge have helped a woman deliver a baby boy in an emergency situation in Karnataka's Haveri district, guided by a doctor on video call. "Seven of us helped our neighbour Vasavi Pathepur deliver a baby boy successfully, guided by gynaecologist Priyanka Mantagi," Jyoti Madi of Hangal village, 370 km northwest of Bengaluru, told IANS.
On Sunday, Pathepur was going to the washroom when she unexpectedly went into labour and her foetus had already come out a little by then.
As a complete lockdown was being observed across the state, the nearest government hospital was not accessible as an ambulance was not readily available, creating an emergency situation.
"At this juncture, we gathered together and were deciding what to do when one of our sisters remembered her childhood friend Mantagi, currently pursuing MD in gynaecology in KIMS Hubli, and we contacted her," said Jyoti.
Fortunately, Mantagi was available when she was contacted though she has been extremely busy discharging COVID-19 duties.
"Mantagi suggested that she would make a video call and guideus through the process for a safe delivery, resulting in the birth of the baby boy," said an elated Jyoti.
Following the gynaecologist's directions, the women managed the delivery. After the procedure, the ambulance arrived to take the mother and baby to a hospital.
In her first delivery, Pathepur had given birth to a baby girl through C-Section.
"We have not done anything great. It is all God's grace," said Jyoti.
While many people are connecting the video call delivery to a similar incidence shown in the Aamir Khan starrer hit flick Three Idiots, which released more than a decade ago, Jyoti said it was a movie whereas they did it in real life.
Jyoti has completed her engineering and lives in Bengaluru. Currently, she is at her mother's home in the village because of the COVID-induced lockdown.
The other six women who were involved in the delivery are Ankita Vedambhattanavar, an MCA graduate from Bengaluru, Madhulika Desai, advocate, Madhuri Kamanahalli, Vijayalaxmi Joshi and Mukta Kamanahalli, homemakers, and Shivaleela Pattara, a government teacher, all from the same village.