Make a raft with wooden poles from the jungle, tie the patient to it and cross the chin-deep river, convert the raft into a stretcher and walk through the slippery, narrow rocky alleys – this is how villagers of Dibe in Gensi Circle of Lower Siang in Arunachal Pradesh reach the nearest hospital, with not just the patient’s, but even their own lives at risk.
A picture of one such alleged trip on September 26 went viral on social media. News18 hasn’t verified the authenticity of the video.
While the authorities haven’t confirmed or denied or commented on it, News18 contacted the person who filmed it.
“We are now going to cross the river… You can see the roads of Arunachal Pradesh for yourself. This is the road of Dibe village. This is the most backward area under Likabali constituency. This is Gensi circle. MP Sir please watch this. This is very dangerous,” says one of the youth crossing the patient through the river, distinctly heard in the video in Hindi.
ALL IN A DAY’s WORK
“It’s a regular practice here. Taking an ill person to a medical facility entails all of it. The video is of a woman being taken to the facility. We first have to make a makeshift raft with bamboo from the jungle. Then, the patient is tied to it and drifted across the river, where the water is chin-deep,” said the villager, on condition of anonymity.
“On the other side of the river, the raft has to be turned into a stretcher. The patient is then carried through the slippery, narrow rocky alleys. Young men from the village volunteer for it to save lives,” he said.
WHERE IS DIBE?
The village comes under the Gensi Community Development Block. Its nearest town is Basar, which is about 109 km away from Dibe. It is situated 45 km away from sub-district headquarter Sibe (tehsildar office) and 163 km away from district headquarters of Aalo.
As per data from 2009, 27 persons live in five households in the village. There are 10 women and 17 men in the village. Women constitute 37.04% and men constitute 62.96% of the total population. Population density of Dibe is 0.06 persons per square kilometer.
The villagers claimed they have appealed to Chief Minister Pema Khandu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to initiate progress in their remote hamlet.
“Repeated appeals to the local authorities have fallen on deaf ears so far,” he lamented.
REPORTS SHOW
In 2020, lack of access to healthcare reportedly claimed lives of at least three pregnant women in a remote village of Arunachal Pradesh.
According to a report published in Arunachal Times, notwithstanding the efforts to establish modern healthcare system in the state, access remains an issue for women, in comparison with the national average.
According to the National Family Health Survey-5 (2019-2021), only 53.1% of mothers received antenatal check-ups and only 36.5% had at least four antenatal care visits. However, 82% of births were assisted by trained personnel.
Further, it was also reported that 56.6% of the children aged between six and 59 months were found to be anemic, while only 22% of the children aged six-23 months received adequate diet.
With Inputs from Nipjyoti Kalita
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