The nearest Primary Health Centre (PHC) for the people of Gundri Panchayat in Erode district is 17 km away in Kadambur and involves travelling through a reserve forest.
To meet their healthcare needs, all that the people of the 22 villages in the panchayat have is a private dispensary and a mobile health team that visits them once a week.
Over 5,000 people
Located in the Sathyamangalam Panchayat Union, Gundri is situated 94 km from Erode. Though the 2011 census estimates the population at the panchayat to be 3,852 persons and 1,800 households, residents say almost 5,700 people live there now.
“We need a hospital in the panchayat,” said 57-year-old Abraham of Chinna Gundri. The villagers want a health centre that will have facilities to treat pregnant women.
Moreover, the panchayat is not covered by any mobile network and has poor bus connectivity.
Pregnant women have to travel to the PHC at Basunavapuram, which is also 17 km away. “Women travel on two-wheelers over a damaged road during pregnancy to reach the hospital, but there is no other option,” added Perumal, another villager.
Through wilderness
Since the road passes through the Guthiyalathur Reserve Forest, elephants frequently it, making the journey all the more difficult.
In the absence of a mobile network, villagers have to travel 3 km on the forest road to a spot where network connectivity can be found, so that an ambulance can be called during emergencies.
“We can make calls only from a particular spot and the ambulance takes an hour to reach,” said 33-year-old S. Arun Kumar. Sometimes, residents have to climb up rocks to get network connectivity in inclement weather.
Deputy Director of Health Services S. Soundammal told The Hindu that a proposal had been submitted for establishing a health sub-centre to meet the needs of the people in the panchayat.
“Even if the population is less than 5,000, a centre can be started as Gundri is a hilly and difficult terrain,” she said.
