Patient carried on makeshift bamboo stretcher to hospital in Keralam’s Edamalakkudy; fourth incident in a month
Residents of the Edamalakkudy tribal panchayat in Kerala are forced to carry critically ill patients on makeshift bamboo stretchers due to a lack of road infrastructure. This incident marks the fourth time in a month that villagers have had to navigate rugged forest terrain to reach medical facilities.
Why it matters
It highlights the severe infrastructure deficit in remote tribal regions and the resulting life-threatening consequences for marginalized communities.
The lack of proper roads and bridges continues to severely disrupt daily life for the Muthuvan tribal community in Edamalakkudy, Keralam’s first tribal panchayat near Munnar.
Transporting critically ill patients on makeshift bamboo stretchers across rugged forest terrain has become an alarming routine.
On Monday (August 31, 2026), a 40-year-old woman suffering from high fever had to be carried over seven kilometres through dense forests to access medical care. The woman, identified as Sumathi from the Parappayarkudy settlement, was eventually admitted to the Munnar General Hospital. This marks the fourth such incident reported in the panchayat in under a month.
Edamalakkudy panchayat president Binu M. stated that Sumathi developed a severe fever, leaving villagers with no option but to transport her on a bamboo stretcher.
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