Harinash Rural Municipality in Syangja district has begun providing free ambulance transport to pregnant women going to hospital for delivery, with the service taking effect from Shrawan of the current fiscal year. The municipality introduced the facility to help expectant mothers reach hospitals more easily and encourage institutional deliveries, Information Officer and Health Section Chief Bidur Sigdel said.
Free transport to support hospital delivery
The service is intended for pregnant women who need to travel to hospital for a safe delivery. By removing the ambulance fare for this journey, the municipality aims to make it easier for women to seek delivery care at a health facility rather than face the transport cost as an obstacle. The initiative is specifically focused on institutional deliveries and access to hospital care.
Sigdel said the municipality started the service to help pregnant women reach hospital with greater ease. The scheme has been in operation since Shrawan, the first month of the Nepali fiscal year, and applies to pregnant women travelling for delivery. The municipality has not provided further details in the available information about eligibility procedures, how to request an ambulance or the locations served.
Two ambulances operating in the municipality
Harinash currently has two ambulances in operation. One is based at Magyam Chisapani Health Post, while the other is run by a local organisation. These are the vehicles available to support the municipality’s transport service for pregnant women.
The arrangement draws on both a health-post-based ambulance and a vehicle operated by a local organisation. The information provided by the municipality identifies the two operating ambulances but does not specify their schedules, staffing or how trips are coordinated. It also does not state whether the free service is limited to particular wards or hospitals.
Encouraging institutional deliveries
The municipality’s stated purpose is to encourage women to give birth at health institutions by making transport to hospital easier. Access to a vehicle can be an important part of reaching care, and Harinash has made ambulance transport free for pregnant women travelling for delivery as part of that effort. The programme links its support directly to safe delivery in a hospital setting.
The service is a local initiative in Syangja and is being delivered through the two ambulances currently operating in Harinash. Sigdel’s announcement highlights the municipality’s focus on reducing the difficulty of reaching hospital for pregnant women. Further information about the service’s use or its impact was not included in the available details.
