Kerala Doctors Cross River, Trek 8 km To Reach Tribal Village After SOS Call; Hats Off To Covid Warriors

by Sanjana Shenoy
Kerala Doctors Cross River, Trek 8 km To Reach Tribal Village After SOS Call; Hats Off To Covid Warriors

How far would doctors go to save their patients? The fact that doctors and nurses continue to tirelessly work in highly infected environments, no amount of gratitude would be enough to celebrate their services. A team of doctors in Kerala went above and beyond after receiving an SOS call from a remote tribal village. A medical team from Puthur Domiciliary Care Centre (DCC) crossed a river and trekked 8 km to tend to patients who suffered from high fever. Here’s their triumphant story.

Team Of Doctors Crossed River, Trekked In Forest To Reach Remote Tribal Village In Kerala

The Puthur Primary Health Center in Thrissur, Kerala received an SOS call from a tribal community in Attapadi forest division of Palakkad district. Three members of a family suffered from high fever. The tribal colony is situated a few kilometres inside the forest, where even vehicles cannot cross the Bhavani River. So, reaching the remote tribal settlement was no easy feat. Yet, the team of health workers were determined to reach out to their patients in Murugula village irrespective of the odds.

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Picture Credits: The Indian Express

Crossing River On Foot Was Risky Due To High Water Levels

The team used their vehicles only up to the bank of the Bhavani Puzha river. Afterwhich they crossed the gushing river on their foot. Dr Sukanya stated to India Today that while it was not new for them to cross rivers to reach the village, on that day, the water level was quite high. But they didn’t have a choice but to cross the river on foot. It was certainly quite risky and some of the healthcare workers also fell down while crossing. Nevertheless, they reached the other side and trekked another 8km inside the Attappadi forest until they reached the Murugula village.

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Picture Credits: India Today

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Kerala Health Minister Congratulates Team Of Healthcare Workers

On reaching the destination, the doctors conducted rapid antigen tests for Covid-19 for more than 30 people. Out of them, 7 tested positive for Covid. They were immediately shifted to the Puthut DDC. Dr Sukanya, who was part of the team, health inspector Sunil Vasu, junior health inspector Shaij and driver Sajesh received an appreciation call from Kerala Health Minister Veena George. Dr Sukanya revealed to India Today that it was a pleasant surprise that the minister called. It was indeed a great motivation for the team to continue to carry on with their services. Hats off to this fantastic team of selfless doctors! Meanwhile, here’s the personal experience of a Kasturba Hospital Doctor on Covid-19.