21-year-old Junu Vick of Thuliveri Municipality-10 Rahgaon in Dolpa suffered from profuse bleeding when her baby was born last week. She and the baby are being treated after they were immediately brought to Surkhet by a Nepalese army helicopter. While being treated at the provincial hospital in Birendranagar, she said, "That day, I thought life was like this now." I did not even imagine that my life would be saved by going to the helicopter.'

15-year-old Jamuna Budhamgar of Tripurasundari Municipality-3 in Dolpa was more worried than happy about becoming a mother at a young age. She was equally worried about her child's life. After giving birth last week, she became life-threatening due to heavy bleeding. The president was rescued by an army helicopter through the women's upliftment program and reached the provincial hospital in Surkhet. "During delivery, we mother and child live with luck, I also got the same luck," she said. But the health center is very far away.

This is a representative case of those who escaped death after the implementation of the Presidential Women's Upliftment Program under the Ministry of Women, Children and Senior Citizens in 2076. After the implementation of the free air rescue service program for pregnant and delivery women whose lives are at risk in remote areas, 808 women in 44 districts including Karnali and Sudurpaschim have been rescued by air. 

The government has been conducting this program since 2075/76, targeting pregnant and post-partum women in remote areas whose economic conditions are weak. So far, there are 351 people from Karnali and Sudurpaschim and 457 have been rescued in other 6 provinces. 

An army air base has been set up in Surkhet targeting Karnali and Far West. According to the Ministry of Women, Children and Senior Citizens, this program has saved the lives of 808 women and the same number of infants who were on the verge of death in a period of 6 years. 

23-year-old Lalshova Singh Bhagya of Mahabai Rural Municipality-4 Paibada in Kalikot shares her experience of surviving. She was pregnant last February and went to the basic health center located in Mahabai-2 after her blood pressure increased and she was not treated at the health center near her home. Even there, after 24 hours injection was not available, the district hospital was referred. As it was not possible there, they had to come to Surkhet by helicopter.

Lalshova's husband is in Kuwait during his foreign employment. "There is no car to reach the headquarters from the village, it takes a day on foot," said her father Man Bahadur Singh, "the hospital called a helicopter and saved the lives of her daughter and grandson." After suffering from labor pain, her 23-year-old husband Bam Bahadur Wik carried her from Riva on a stretcher for about 9 hours to the district hospital with the help of relatives. The doctor referred to the provincial hospital after seeing the condition of the delivery as complicated. The baby was brought to the provincial hospital by an army helicopter but could not be saved despite surgery. The infant died 4 days after birth. "It is not so easy for a woman in remote areas to become a mother, there is no such tool to check when the disease has been present," he said, "It is not known whether or not it is possible to give birth to a child who has been cured of the disease, and it causes more problems after giving birth." 

It is difficult to reach local health institutions from remote settlements in hilly areas. The risk remains the same due to the difficult terrain and the hours it takes. 16-year-old Sutkeri Vasanthi Pariyar of Khatyad Rural Municipality-2 Seri in Mugu had to be kept in the district hospital for 3 weeks. 6 days after giving birth, the baby developed high blood pressure and was immediately rescued by helicopter and brought to Surkhet. Last year, 24-year-old Pavitra Shahi of Sarkegad rural municipality-7 in Humla died due to excessive bleeding. After being in labor for four days, Betha was taken to the village health institution. He died because he could not be treated there.

Health workers working here say that mothers and babies die because of the tendency to take pregnant women to health institutions only after they are in labor. Senior Anami Sarita Bohora of Humla District Hospital says that women's health institutions cannot come here because it is geographically remote. She said that if the pregnancy is not properly checked, the mother and the baby will die. Most of Karnali's remote health institutions are not easy to reach on foot, only a few have road access. There is a problem of lack of technology, skilled manpower and equipment," she said. "Due to geographical difficulties, we have been able to save the lives of mothers and babies through air rescue." The Ministry of Women, Children and Senior Citizens deploys the army to rescue based on the recommendations of the concerned Chief District Officer and local health organizations. Army pilot Major General Deephwaj Khadka said that 351 pregnant women from Karnali and Far West were rescued after the West Air Base was placed in Surkhet. He said, "This program has become a lifesaver for women and children."

Karnali Province Health Director Dr. Free air rescue for those who do not have access to roads and health services has reduced the maternal mortality rate. Ravin Khadka says. 808 people have been rescued from this program which has been implemented since 2075/76 till February of the financial year. Among the seven provinces, the number of rescues from Karnali and Sudurpasmi is high, while Lumbini province has the lowest number. Since the implementation of the program, 211 people have been rescued in Koshi Province, 107 in Bagmati, 35 in Gandaki, 14 in Lumbini, 233 in Karnali, and 118 in Far West.