Munnar: Tribal residents of Edamalakkudi carried a man with severe fever on their shoulders through dense forest terrain for nearly six kilometres to reach a medical centre.

The patient, Maalayappan, (64), from Koodalar Kudi, had been suffering from severe fever for the past two days. On Tuesday morning, his condition deteriorated, leaving him extremely weak. Without access to proper transportation facilities in their remote settlement, local residents joined hands to carry him through the forest path to Anakulam. From there, an ambulance transported him to the government hospital at Mankulam.

Edamalakkudi tribal panchayat has 28 settlements. Although a primary health centre functions at Society Kudi, residents of distant hamlets such as Koodalar and Meenmutty are forced to walk long distances through the forest to access healthcare. For many, Mankulam and Anakulam remain the closer options.

On August 23, a 5-year-old child from Koodalar Kudi died of fever. The child was carried through the forest to Anakulam and then taken to the Adimali Taluk Hospital but could not be saved due to the delay in receiving adequate treatment. Similarly, in earlier incidents, asthma patients and others in critical condition had to be physically carried to hospitals.

Currently, road connectivity extends only up to Society Kudi from Munnar, and even there, travel is possible only in four-wheel-drive jeeps due to the poor condition of the roads. Residents of Edamalakkudi have long been demanding a well-equipped hospital that can provide timely treatment. Even in Munnar itself, such a facility is not yet available.