A 27-year-old pregnant woman in Kerala had to be carried by her relatives in a makeshift stretcher made out of a bedsheet and a wooden log for at least 7 km so as to reach the nearest hospital.

The unfortunate incident pertains to Palakkad district of Kerala, a state that for years has boasted of maintaining an 'impressive' human development index.

The woman is a native of eastern Attapady, a tribal belt in Palakkad district. She had to be carried to the hospital on the makeshift stretcher because the hamlet is not connected with a motorable road and no ambulance was available either. She later gave birth to a baby girl at the hospital.

#Kerala: A pregnant tribal woman carried to hospital by her family members in Palghat's Attappadi, due to unavailability of an ambulance. pic.twitter.com/NSrdzSC7QV ANI (@ANI) June 7, 2018

"Since no ambulance was available, she was carried in the stretcher made of a bedsheet tied to logs," news agency PTI said in a report quoting hospital sources.

The incident came to light after footage aired by television channels of her journey went viral on the social media.

"Her relatives had to cross the Varagar, the mighty tributary of the Bhavani river, which was in spate following incessant rain," The Hindu said in a report, adding that the State Women's Commission has sought a report from the district collector in this regards.

The mother and the newborn are fine, sources said.

(With inputs from PTI)

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