No road, no ambulance: Andhra woman carried 5 km on palanquin after snakebite

A tribal woman who was bitten by a suspected snake in a remote village in Andhra Pradesh's Alluri Sitharama Raju district was carried nearly five kilometres across hilly terrain on a makeshift stretcher after an ambulance could not reach the area, highlighting the challenges of accessing emergency healthcare in remote tribal regions.

The woman, identified as Somru Sammakka Priya, is a resident of Kotha Karumanu Konda village. According to hospital officials, she was bitten while sleeping late on Saturday night after experiencing a sudden sharp pain.

Her family members, who noticed her discomfort, examined her and found marks consistent with a snake bite. With no immediate ambulance service available and the village lacking proper road connectivity, relatives and members of the local tribal community decided to transport her manually to the nearest health facility.

Villagers placed Priya on a doli (a makeshift stretcher) and carried her through rugged terrain, climbing and descending multiple hills over a distance of around five kilometres before reaching the Primary Health Centre (PHC) at Kotturu early on Sunday morning.

CONDITION STABLE

Hospital staff immediately began administering anti-snakebite treatment. Dr Srinivas Dora, who examined the patient, said her condition was stable and that she was responding well to treatment.

Residents said the rescue operation involved crossing nearly four hills between Kotha Karumanu Konda hamlet and Kooturu. Several members of the tribal community, including local resident Sootru Lakshman Reddy, participated in carrying the woman to the health centre.

Officials also said emergency medical technician (EMT) Venkat, despite being off duty, rushed to the PHC on his motorcycle after learning that a snakebite victim was being brought in and that no ambulance was available.

The incident also exposed staffing challenges at the rural health centre. According to local sources, doctors were not present when the patient arrived, and nursing staff initiated emergency treatment before physicians attended to her.

Local authorities and health officials have launched an inquiry into the incident and are reviewing emergency healthcare arrangements in the area. Officials said steps were being taken to strengthen ambulance availability and ensure adequate anti-venom stocks at healthcare facilities serving remote tribal habitations.

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