India: Childbirth dangerous for women in rural Kashmir during winters

 As heavy snowfall blocks roads, villagers make treacherous journeys to access even rudimentary healthcare facilities.

As snow fell thickly on Zirkan village, deep in the forests of Indian-administered Kashmir’s Shopian district, Akhtar Jan struggled as her contractions became more intense.

It was the frail 32-year-old woman’s fourth birth and as her labour progressed, she knew the journey to the nearby hospital would be nearly impossible for her.

Akhtar’s family tried frantically to clear the snow off the village road, surrounded by tall pine trees and muffled by piles of snow from the season’s worst snowstorm on January 4.

As desperation grew, the family, helped by neighbours, had to carry Akhtar on a makeshift stretcher on a nightmarish 12-km (7-mile) journey.

They struggled to walk on the road, which was practically indiscernible under the snow.

“I thought I would die,” Akhtar told Al Jazeera at her home last week. “I was unsure whether I will come back alive with the child or not.”

Akhtar could not make it to the hospital on time and delivered a baby boy on the road.

“It seemed a long journey to live as I withered in pain in the biting cold,” she said, adding that the experience has haunted her since.

As it continued to snow and temperatures fell to freezing, Akhtar and her newborn, wrapped in a blanket, continued their journey on the makeshift stretcher till they reached the hospital.

“We face such instances here and at times one curses why a woman is born in such a difficult situation,” she said.

While Akthar and her child – named Ishfaq which means kindness – were fortunate to survive, the hardships of living in this remote Himalayan region did not end for them.

Akhtar is a Gujjar, one of a nomadic tribe of herders who live a precarious life with rudimentary access to healthcare services.

After a six-day stay in the hospital, Akhtar’s family rented a vehicle that dropped them nearly 5km (3 miles) away from their home, leaving her to walk uphill as the snow on the road was not yet cleared.

“I was not in a condition to walk but I had no other option,” she said.

In winters, public transport is not available on village roads, forcing the villagers to negotiate slippery roads and snow on their own.

“These difficulties for women like us living in far-flung areas are always there and no one cares about it. It’s difficult to reach the hospital,” said 28-year-old Zaytoona Begum, Akhtar’s neighbour.

“If any elder person falls sick or a child is unwell, it becomes really stressful for everyone.”