Munnar (Kerala), Sep 17 : An elderly tribal man suffering from high fever was carried by community members on their shoulders for over six km, taking six hours through dense forest in Kerala's Idukki district, to the nearest medical facility, which highlights the acute shortage of healthcare in remote tribal areas.

The 64-year-old patient, identified as Malayappan from the Kuddikaar settlement in Idamalakkudi tribal belt, about 45 km from here, is now recovering at Mankulam Government Hospital, according to a report.

Malayappan had been battling a severe fever for two days when his condition deteriorated on Tuesday morning, leaving him too weak to walk.

In a desperate effort to save him, his fellow community members carried him on their shoulders through difficult forest terrain to Anakkulam, where an ambulance was arranged to transport him to the nearest hospital.

The incident underscores the inadequate medical infrastructure in the Idamalakkudi region, which is governed by a tribal local body.

While a Primary Health Centre operates in Societykudi, residents in more remote areas like Koodalar and Meenkuthi are forced to undertake arduous journeys through the tough forest paths to reach there.

Consequently, many prefer the closer, albeit still distant, option of traveling to Anakkulam. This is not an isolated incident.

Last month, a five-year-old child from the Koodalar settlement died from a fever after a similar effort to shift him to a hospital. The child was carried on foot to Anakkulam and from there, he was shifted to the Taluk Hospital in Adimali, but could not be saved.

The lack of proper road connectivity poses a major challenge in the tribal belt. Vehicle access is limited to the route from Munnar to Societykudi.

Beyond this point, the roads are in such poor condition that only four-wheel-drive vehicles, mainly jeeps, can navigate them, making it nearly impossible for ambulances to reach the most isolated hamlets.

/IANS