Ailing teen carried 25 km on cot from Chhattisgarh to Maharashtra for medical care

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Relatives of a 17-year-old girl from Chhattisgarh undertook a gruelling 25-kilometre journey on a wooden cot to bring her to Maharashtra's Gadchiroli for medical treatment, PTI report stated. The teenager, hailing from Metawada village in Bastar district, Chhattisgarh, was suffering from persistent fever and vomiting. Her family, desperate to seek medical assistance, placed her on a cot and carried her on their shoulders for approximately 25 kilometres to reach the primary health centre (PHC) in Laheri, Bhamragadh taluka, Gadchiroli.

Dr Sambhaji Bhokre, the medical officer at Laheri PHC, revealed that upon her arrival, the girl was promptly provided with the necessary medical attention, and her condition has since stabilized. The increasing incidence of malaria during the monsoon season has prompted patients from border villages in Chhattisgarh to seek treatment at Laheri PHC, given its proximity compared to the PHC in Narayanpur, the neighbouring state.

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"Cases of malaria have been on the rise during monsoon and patients from four to five border villages of Chhattisgarh have been seeking treatment at Laheri PHC as it is closer for them than the PHC at Narayanpur in the neighbouring state," the official was quoted as saying in the PTI report.

A senior health officer emphasized the challenging circumstances faced by residents in these villages. Despite the presence of ambulances and shared contact numbers provided by the district administration, the terrain's hilly nature, lack of motorable roads, and poor network connectivity leave villagers with no choice but to travel on foot.

This is not the first incident that has reflected the need for increased efforts to enhance healthcare facilities and accessibility in remote parts of India.

In Odisha, earlier this year, an elderly man had to carry his wife's lifeless body on his shoulder for several kilometres due to lack of ambulance or hearse. The incident was from Biragobindapur village of Odisha. The man, identified as Gouranga Nanda, had rushed his ailing wife to the local Joda Community Health Center (CHC) after she fell critically ill. Tragically, despite their efforts, his wife's condition deteriorated rapidly, and she succumbed to her illness at the CHC. With no ambulance or hearse available at the facility, Gouranga Nanda had to carry her body home himself.