Today even if they have pain in their ears, people living in the hilly areas of Uttarakhand have to travel to Dehradun for treatment.

Now imagine a woman going through childbirth who has to travel during labour without knowing if she’ll reach the hospital or give birth on the road or die.

I have heard instances where ambulances have stopped midway saying the journey ahead doesn’t come into their service area.

I have no words to describe the pain and plight of the mothers and sisters of my state Uttarakhand.

I am starting the #PahadKiPukar (call of the mountains) campaign with this petition. Please sign and share this petition so that Uttarakhand's health system is improved.

While giving birth to a child at home in critical condition 25-year-old Sunita’s health started deteriorating. Due to lack of facilities, medical aid or network, an ambulance was not an option for her family.

The helpless villagers decided to take Sunita to the hospital in a chair and started walking towards the main road that was 3 kms away from the village. Sunita and her unborn child died before reaching the main road.

Together we can save the lives of thousands of such women. Share my petition.

The health system is still slightly better in the plains of Uttarakhand. There are big hospitals, there are doctors. But in the hilly areas, especially in the villages, people are left to the mercy of God. Ambulances do not go there. People carry the patient on their shoulder, a cot or a chair.

Therefore, I demand that all political parties promise to the people of Uttarakhand that they'll take the issue of improving health facilities seriously. I want to see these demands in election manifestos of all parties and also make it a priority of the elected government:

-Make it mandatory to have a Gynecologist, Physician and Trauma Center in the health center of every Gram Panchayat.

-All equipment including X-ray, incubation chamber, ultrasound, MRI, CT scan, oxygen bed should be available and attention should be paid to maintenance.

-There should be deployment of doctors 24/7 so that the sick can get treatment at any time, especially pregnant women.

-Upgrade the 108 Ambulance service so that they travel over long distances, along with provision of penalty for unreasonable delay in arrival of ambulances and increase the number of ambulances.

Please lend me your voice so that all health centers in my state are so well equipped that patients don’t have to go anywhere else. Share my petition.

I hope that day arrives soon when the women and children of the mountain won’t scramble for health services.

Dr. Aanchal Sharma

The Earth and Climate Initiative