DINDIGUL: Over 10,000 people, including those belonging to various tribes, residing in Sirumalai Hills have long been clamouring for a primary health centre functioning 24x7 in the area. For medical needs at odd hours, they now have to solely depend on the government hospital in Dindigul, which is more than one-and-a-half hours away from the hills.
Sirumalai, a region known for its hilly terrain, is 25 km from Dindigul and 72 km from Madurai. Though tourists and nature enthusiasts throng the place throughout the year, it lacks a medical centre functioning round the clock. “Sirumalai Palaiyur and Sirumalai Pudur house one health centre each. However, the facilities function for only a few hours during the day.
The centres have just one nurse each, and their main job is to administer vaccines to children. Thus, in case of emergencies, we have to rush to the far-away Dindigul GH,” S Mahalakshmi, a resident of Sirumalai Pudur told TNIE. She also lamented that bus services in the region are few and far between. “Even politicians do not care about us,” she added.
Dr Senthil Kumar from Dindigul said though Thenmalai falls under Dindigul district, the nearby tribal hamlets such as Poonuruki, Meenakshipuram and Pilor, are under Madurai district. “Unfortunately, there is no direct route from here to Madurai and we have to traverse through the tribal hamlets in Sirumalai and Dindigul before reaching the place. Though a mobile van service is available once in 15 days in Sirumalai, it would stop in far-off places as roads are in bad condition,” he said.
“In case of emergencies, patients have to wait for three hours for an ambulance to reach Sirumalai. CM M K Stalin and Health Minister Ma Subramanian must make efforts to establish a PHC that functions 24x7 and is equipped with modern amenities. It is commendable that the forest department is trying to enhance this place as a tourist spot. But, at the same time it is mandatory to update the medical facilities,” Kumar added.
On behalf of Sirumalai panchayat president V Sangeetha, her husband Vellimalai, who is also a ward member, told TNIE that they have already submitted multiple petitions to the district collector. “The authorities have taken note of the issue and they recently said a PHC is likely to come up near the high school in Sirumalai Pudur. For the time being, medical camps are being organised from time to time,” he said. TNIE’s repeated attempts to contact Deputy Director for Health Dr Varadharajan went in vain.