LUMBINI PROVINCE, Nepal — In late October, at the Bheri Hospital in Nepal’s western Terai region, 40-year-old Anita Yadav delivered a stillborn baby. Hours later, complications claimed her life as well.
A week earlier, Anita had been past her due date when intense abdominal pain began. Unable to travel on her own or afford transportation, Anita waited for days for her husband’s permission. Her husband Khushiram Yadav, in turn, sought approval from his father, who insisted Anita deliver at home as others in their community had done.
But with no baby in sight, Khushiram eventually went door-to-door among neighbors in the village of Gangapur, borrowing 5,000 Nepalese rupees ($34) to reach a nearby health clinic. There, nurses were unable to detect a fetal heartbeat but did record signs of infection. They immediately referred Anita to a hospital with more advanced services, about 25 miles away.