Science vs Superstition: Odisha Doctor Convinces Pregnant Woman For Delivery In Hospital

Malkangiri: Challenging the infant and maternal mortality rate in India is no mean task, especially when it comes to the hinterlands, where traditional birth-giving practices and superstitions abound. It takes the determination of medical practitioners such as Dr Amaya Kumar Swain to even achieve a breakthrough in this direction.

Convincing even a single pregnant woman in areas like Malkangiri to get her delivery done at a hospital is no mean achievement. But Dr Swain did it. Radha Peda, 23 of Mao-infested Baliguda village under Maithili was in her ninth month of gestation and was consulting local quacks and midwives. She put her foot down at the suggestion of going to a hospital. Even ASHA volunteers came back disappointed. It was then that Dr Amaya Kumar Swain decided to come down from Mathili to convince her.

Dr Amaya said, “The lady’s delivery date was more than a week ago, so I decided to visit her personally.” After many attempts, he was able to convince her and ensured that she reached the hospital safely, taking care of her transportation and admission. 

“I hope my initiative will inspire others to trust medical science and break the shackles of superstitions,” said the doctor.