(Name changed)
Srijana, a 21-year-old pregnant woman lives in a family of nine members, including her husband, two children, in-laws, and brother-in-law. Her mother-in-law works as a cleaner at the Rugin Health Post, while her husband supports the family through goat and sheep herding. On 29 June 2025, she delivered a healthy baby weighing 2.5kgs. Both mother and baby were stable after delivery.
During her routine postnatal care visit, Srijana’s vital signs were normal. The newborn was also healthy. However, the following evening, Srijana began experiencing a persistent headache, which worsened overnight. By 4am she had developed severe headache, blurred vision, sweating, difficulty breathing, and difficulty speaking—classic warning signs of severe pre-eclampsia.
At 4.45am the family urgently called the PHASE Nepal medical team. Upon home assessment, she was found to be in a critical condition. Recognizing the emergency, PHASE staff immediately transported her to the Rugin Health Post. They administered medication and coordinated with the rural municipality to dispatch an ambulance. After confirming pre-eclampsia, they monitored her vital signs every 30 minutes. Her condition partially stabilized. Once the ambulance arrived, she was referred to Kolti Primary Health Centre, accompanied by PHASE staff. She received treatment for two days and was discharged.
Two days after returning home, Srijana again became unwell. The PHASE medical team consulted a doctor at Kolti PHC, who advised a course of medication. After completing the medication, her blood pressur
e normalized and she has remained stable ever since. Both mother and baby are now healthy.
Srijana’s family expressed deep gratitude to the PHASE team, acknowledging that without timely response, home-based emergency management, and referral support, the situation could have been life-threatening. This case clearly illustrates the essential, life-saving role of trained rural health workers in remote communities where emergency services, electricity, transportation, and communication systems are unreliable or absent.
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