VELLORE: A month after the death of a child due to a snakebite at Alleri hillock, a 35-year-old man of Attukkaranthurai hamlet at the hillock at Anaicut panchayat in Vellore district lost his life late on Wednesday after being bitten by a snake. The hillock has multiple small settlements of 18 to 20 houses, sources said.
Shankar, a daily-wage labourer, was asleep inside his house when the snake bit him. Around midnight, Shankar’s elder daughter Rajeshwari woke up on hearing her father’s cry and found a krait coiled around his hand. She immediately alerted other family members and neighbours.
They managed to kill two snakes, including one hiding near the TV in the house and tried to call for an ambulance. Since there is no motorable road to the hamlet, villagers had to carry Shankar in a doli for about a km to reach the point that could be accessed by an ambulance. “Shankar died on the way before he could be taken to the ambulance,” sources said.
‘Couldn’t reach health staff due to poor network’
“We attempted to reach health workers but since there was no mobile network in the locality, we could not reach them. We usually climb to the top of the hill for 500 metres to get proper network coverage. If we had a 24-hour primary health centre nearby, we could have saved his life,” the villagers said.
Vanpriya, a relative of the victim, said, “A month ago when the baby died, the collector visited and promised that a proper road would be constructed. The BDO also measured the pathway and submitted a plan to the forest department. It has been a month, and we are still waiting.”
A release said, the cause of death was due to the family members’ failure to utilise available medical facilities and ambulance services, and because of the challenges posed by the mud road. The release also said Rs 5.5 crore has been allotted for constructing the proposed road.
Dr Banumathy, deputy director of health services, said, “We have three sub-centre clinics in Alleri and proposals have been sent to set up a few more. The villagers failed to take steps to transport the victim to the hospital. They attempted herbal remedies, causing a delay in providing medical attention.” After the death of the child due to snakebite last month, an ambulance service was introduced but it lacks essential facilities.