A doctor has visited Halubedda village of Hukumpeta mandal in the Agency area of the district for the first time after Independence!
“I am happy to be the first doctor to have been able to visit the village on horseback. I examined around 70 people and two tested positive for cerebral malaria, which can be fatal, if not treated in time,” B. Rama Rao, a retired DMHO, who went to the village told The Hindu on Friday.
“We parked our vehicle about 4 km away and had to cross steep hill slopes and inclines and cross streams to reach the village. The organisers arranged horses for me and T. Kameswara Rao, State secretary of Praja Arogya Vedika. The horses were kept on the other side of the stream and I was lifted by youngsters as they crossed the stream,” Dr. Rama Rao said. A medical camp was organised jointly by the Girijana Sangham, Alluri Seetharama Raju Vigyana Kendram, Sarada Trust and Jana Vignana Vedika in association with medical representatives at Halubedda village on Friday as part of the free medical camps being conducted in the Agency from July 20 to 31.
“I held on to the gunny sacks kept on the horseback tight to prevent myself from falling. Mr. Umamaheswara Rao, however, slipped and fell. Apart from the two malaria patients, there were a few other cases of diarrhoea and malnutrition. Only health assistant and ANM s visit the village in view of the lack of road connectivity,” he said.
Girijana Sangham leaders K. Surendra and Hymavathi participated in the camp held at the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) village. CPI(M) district committee leader V. Umamaheswara Rao inaugurated free food camp for patients and their attendants at the Sunkarametta PHC for the benefit of those being sent from the interior villages.
