Pune, April 26 -- A pregnant woman was forced to give birth on the roadside on Saturday after allegedly being denied admission by the Shirur Rural Hospital. Despite the difficult circumstances, the swift intervention of alert citizens and a local doctor ensured the safety of both the mother and her newborn. Supriya Nitesh Kale, 23, gave birth at Nirman Chowk in Shirur after collapsing on the road while rushing to seek medical help at the same hospital, while in advanced labour. She belongs to a financially vulnerable tribal community and had not undergone a regular prenatal check-up. According to eyewitnesses, Kale was suffering from intense labour pain and collapsed on the road around 10:15 am. As panic spread, passers-by and local residents rushed to help her and immediately contacted Dr Sunita Pote, a gynaecologist whose clinic is less than half a kilometre away from the spot. Realising there was no time to take the woman to a hospital, Dr Pote rushed to the scene and decided to deliver the baby on the roadside. "The situation was extremely critical. The mother was exhausted and severely anaemic, and there was simply no time to move her elsewhere. We had to act immediately," Dr Pote said. Within minutes, Kale delivered a baby boy. However, anxious moments followed as the newborn did not cry immediately after birth. "Those first few minutes were tense. We were worried because the baby was not responding initially, but fortunately, he began crying after emergency care was provided," Dr Pote said. Following the delivery, an autorickshaw driver helped transport the mother and child to Dr Pote's clinic. Dr Pote said, "Kale comes from a financially vulnerable tribal family and had limited access to healthcare and medical support during her pregnancy." The incident has raised serious concerns over the alleged denial of treatment at a government healthcare facility and the state of emergency maternal healthcare services in rural areas. Nitesh Kale, husband of Supriya, said they had approached the Shirur Rural Hospital on April 20 at around 7 pm, during which the hospital officials said the delivery would not be possible there as they have stopped deliveries and even the ultrasound machine is closed. "They suggested that I take my wife to Ahilyanagar or Pune for the delivery. On Saturday, we were going to the same hospital after she developed pain, and before reaching the hospital, she went into labour pains. During the first trimester of pregnancy, one ultrasound test was done at Ahmednagar....