Visakhapatnam: Tribals still struggling to get access to necessities

Visakhapatnam: A pregnant woman had to be carried in a 'doli' (makeshift stretcher) for over three kilometres to gain access to an ambulance at a tribal hamlet Singi of Rolugunta mandal in Visakhapatnam district on Friday.

The woman, G Rajeswari, developed labour pains in the morning and her family members shifted her to Rolugunta Primary Health Centre (PHC).

Due to lack of road access to the village, relatives of the pregnant woman carried her in a doli to reach YB Patnam to avail the ambulance service. From there, Rajeswari was shifted to the PHC. According to the doctors, her health was stable and she was shifted to Narsipatnam area hospital for better treatment.

The villagers from various tribal hamlets and district secretariat member of CPI (M) K Govinda Rao said that owing to the lack of roads, tribals had no option rather than carrying a doli to meet emergency needs. They alleged that the district officials failed to provide basic infrastructure in tribal pockets. Tribals demand that authorities take concrete steps to construct roads to the villages.