Non-motorable roads in Odisha’s Rairakhol force patients to be carried on stretchers

At a time when the Odisha government is patting its own back over developing infrastructure, residents of Rairakhol block in Sambalpur district are battling a severe health crisis owing to the lack of motorable roads.

The road communication in the block has gone from bad to worse, to the extent that the ambulances are finding it hard to reach many villages forcing the patients to be carried on stretchers for long distances.

In such an instance, a youth, Ugrasen Hati injured himself after falling from a tree at Sanakhaliamali village under Tribanapur panchayat on Tuesday. The villagers called the ambulance to take him to the hospital.

But without a motorable road, the ambulance reportedly could not reach the village. The villagers and his family members then carried Hati for one kilometre to the ambulance on a stretcher.

A similar kind of situation had arisen three days back, when a pregnant woman, Rashmirekha Naik from the same village was forced to be carried in exactly the same way.

As per reports, Naik developed labour pain on Saturday. Despite calling the ambulance, she had to be carried in a stretcher for one kilometre as the ambulance could not come to the village because of the non-availability of the road.

No officials from the district administration commented on the road situation in the block.