PALAKKAD: A tribal woman, who experienced labour pains in the early hours of Sunday, had to be carried on a cloth sling by seven men for nearly 3km through treacherous terrain as the ambulance could not reach her location.
Sumathi, who belongs to the Kurumba tribe residing at Kadakumanna in Attappadi, was brought to the hospital at Kottathara around six hours later, where she delivered a baby boy.
Sumathi had experienced labour pains around 12.30am on Sunday. The residents alerted junior public health nurse Priya Joy who lives in Mukkali, around 15km from Kadakumanna. Attempts to arrange an ambulance to take Sumathi to the nearest hospital in Attappadi failed.
Even private vehicles owners refused fearing wild elephant attacks. Finally, a 108 ambulance from the tribal specialty hospital in Kottathara responded. However, the ambulance could reach only up to Aanavaayi owing to poor road connectivity.
We were lucky not to see any wild elephants en route, says husband
Deciding to act, seven men of the settlement carried Sumathi on a cloth. They reached Aanavaayi around 5pm, after crossing the hanging bridge across the Bhavani river, which connects them to the outside world, and walking for 3km through treacherous and slippery terrain.
At Aanavaayi, Priya was waiting along with a medical staff and the ambulance and took Sumathi to the hospital. “We reached the hospital around 6.35am. By then, all the arrangements for delivery had been made. The baby was born at 6.51am,” said Priya, who waited for Sumathi at the forest at Aanavaayi for one-and-a -half hours.
Sumathi’s husband Murugan said they were lucky to not encounter wild elephants on the path. “Usually, nobody ventures out of their homes after 8pm due to the wild elephant threat,” he said. Murugan said their tribal hamlet has extremely poor mobile connectivity. “We get connectivity only at particular spots and even then the voice on the other side can be barely heard.
There is no power connection and we depend solely on solar energy. So, during the monsoon months, when there is little sunlight, it is pitch dark here,” he said. The situation is same in all tribal settlements under the Aanavaayi sub-centre of the health department. Getting medical treatment is a major problem for the residents. Sumathi and Murugan have another son aged one and a half years.
Govt denies reports, says she was carried for 300m
T’Puram: Denying reports of the incident, a note from SC/ST Welfare Minister K Radhakrishnan’s office said the ST promoter and nurse reached the tribal settlement on Saturday night itself. They also called for an ambulance to shift the woman to the hospital. Since the terrain was not motorable, the woman was carried to the ambulance for just 300m on a cloth sling, said the note.