Another patient carried on makeshift bamboo stretcher to hospital in Keralam’s Edamalakkudy

Tribespeople carry a patient on a makeshift bamboo stretcher from Vellavarakudy to Keppakkad at Edamalakkudy in Idukki on Saturday (September 5, 2026). | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT In yet another incident highlighting poor connectivity in Keralam’s first tribal panchayat, a patient was carried on a makeshift bamboo stretcher across rugged forest terrain in Edamalakkudy, near Munnar, before being shifted to a hospital on Saturday (September 5, 2026) evening.Chandanam, a resident of Edamalakkudy, said that 33-year-old Ajay from the Nooradykudy settlement had been suffering from high fever for several days. On Saturday evening, villagers decided to shift him to a hospital and carried him on foot for nearly seven kilometres through dense forests to access medical care. This marks the fifth such incident reported in the panchayat in less than a month since August 12.Recent incidentsOn August 31, 40-year-old Sumathi from Parappayarkudy, who was also suffering from high fever, was carried over seven kilometres through dense forests to reach the Munnar General Hospital. Locals pointed out that five patients have had to be carried on bamboo stretchers over the past month alone. On August 22, Rajathi, 33, of the Keezhvalayamparakudy settlement, suffering from severe fever and chest pain, was carried on a bamboo stretcher for over five kilometres—crossing the Manaliyar river—to reach the primary health centre (PHC) at Edamalakkudy.On August 14, Poomani, 50, from Meenkuthikudy, who had a high fever for several days, was carried on foot to the primary health facility at Societykudy, the panchayat’s base camp, after her condition worsened. On August 12, Malayappan, 75, from Koodallarkudy had to be carried nearly 10 kilometres through dense forest to Mankulam before being transferred to the Adimaly Taluk Hospital.Residents lamented that due to the lack of motorable roads and bridge connectivity across settlements in the panchayat, carrying patients on makeshift bamboo stretchers through steep slopes and dense jungle remains their only option to ensure timely medical care. Published - September 05, 2026 07:56 pm IST