Door turns raft as Bhadrak man ferries pregnant wife to hospital

A woman in Bhadrak district of Odisha turned her house door into a raft to ferry her pregnant wife to the hospital during the recent floods. Parshuram Mallick, 36, and his family faced the daunting task of reaching the Basudevpur Community Health Centre, around 18 km away, when Mantei river breached its banks and flooded Dadhibamanpur village.

With no ambulance or boat available, Parshuram dismantled the wooden door of his house and turned it into a makeshift raft using discarded floats and bamboo poles. The family, including Parshuram's mother and a minor daughter, climbed onto the raft and navigated through floodwaters to reach a road from where they could arrange transport to the hospital.

Poojarani Mallick, 28, successfully gave birth to a son at Basudevpur CHC after more than three hours of travel. The family then made the return journey on the same raft to their home, where they have been living for nearly a month due to the floods. The local administration received criticism for not informing about the pregnant woman's situation, leading to the need for such an improvised solution.

The revenue minister has pledged to address the issue and ensure such incidents are avoided in the future.