TV
In a heart-wrenching incident that highlights the grim state of rural infrastructure, an ailing woman from Jabaguda village under Papadahandi block of Odisha’s Nabarangpur district had to be carried on a cot through muddy, waterlogged paths after an ambulance failed to reach her due to the lack of motorable roads. Tragically, she later succumbed to her illness despite efforts to save her.
For the last five days, Lalita Jani, wife of Harisingh Jani, had been suffering from high fever and her condition worsened on Monday. In desperate need of medical help, the family dialed for an ambulance. However, the vehicle could not reach the village allegedly due to the absence of a proper road and the monsoon rains turning the paths into knee-deep sludge.
Left with no other option, family members and locals placed Lalita on a cot and carried her through swampy terrain to reach the ambulance waiting far away. Despite their efforts, the critical delay proved costly.
Lalita was initially taken to a local health facility but was later shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital in Koraput due to her deteriorating condition. However, she passed away during treatment, unable to recover from the prolonged delay in receiving urgent care.
In a tragic twist of fate, even after her death, the family had to repeat the same ordeal, carrying her body back to the village on the same cot, through the same slushy path.
This incident has sparked outrage and grief in the region, with locals questioning the lack of basic infrastructure and calling on the administration to prioritize all-weather road connectivity to remote tribal villages.
