Ambulances in the 'unknown hills' of Chhattisgarh - in pictures
A motorbike ambulance, a two-wheeler with a sidecar, on its way to a pregnant woman in Kodoli, a remote village in India's Chhattisgarh state. All photos by AP
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
