Ambulances in the 'unknown hills' of Chhattisgarh state - in pictures

Motorbike ambulances try to reach inaccessible villages to bring patients to an early referral centre

A motorbike ambulance, a two-wheeler with a sidecar consisting of a hospital bed on wheels, travels on a dirt road through Abhujmarh, or "the unknown hills," to reach a pregnant woman in Kodoli, a remote village near Orchha in central India's Chhattisgarh state, Nov. 15, 2022. These ambulances, first deployed in 2014, reach inaccessible villages to bring pregnant women to an early referral center, a building close to the hospital where expectant mothers can stay under observation, routinely visit doctors if needed until they give birth. Since then the number of babies born in hospitals has doubled to a yearly average of about 162 births each year, from just 76 in 2014. The state has one of the highest rates of pregnancy-related deaths for mothers in India, about 1. 5 times the national average, with 137 pregnancy related deaths for mothers per 100,000 births. (AP Photo / Altaf Qadri)

Phagni Poyam, who is nine months pregnant, looks on as driver Sukhram Vadde removes boulders from a riverbed near Kodoli so the ambulance can pass

The motorbike ambulances try to reach inaccessible villages to bring pregnant women and very sick people to an early referral centre

Villagers carrying a sick man cross a stream through Abhujmarh, or 'the unknown hills,' to the nearest health centre, about 20km away

Health workers help heavily pregnant Ms Poyam with her child, as they try to reach the health centre

Mr Vadde, left, gets help to dig a steep riverbank to make a route for his motorbike ambulance

Lata Netam, a health worker, pushes the ambulance carrying Phagni Poyam and her son

Ms Netam unsuccessfully tries to push the motorbike ambulance up a steep riverbank

Chhattisgarh state has one of the highest rates of pregnancy-related deaths in India

Since the ambulances were first used in 2014 the number of babies born in hospitals has doubled to a yearly average of about 162

Tribal women walk back to their villages through Abhujmarh after visiting a weekly market in Chhattisgarh state

More from The National:

Celebrities demand release of Iranian actress Taraneh Alidoosti in open letter

Thousands flock to streets of Rabat to welcome Morocco's returning World Cup heroes

Iraqi biker crew in Baghdad - in pictures

Whirling dervishes perform Sema ritual in Turkey - in pictures