📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Kartiki Gonsalves
Health
Villagers in Mane, Arunachal Pradesh Carry Patients on Shoulders Amid Road Crisis
✍️ India Today NE
🗓 10 Sep 2026, 01:18 AM
👁 9
In the remote village of Mane, Arunachal Pradesh, lack of proper roads forces residents to transport ill neighbours on their shoulders to reach the nearest health centre.
Mane, a remote settlement in Arunachal Pradesh's Upper Subansiri district, has become a stark example of how inadequate road infrastructure hampers emergency medical care. With the nearest primary health centre located over 15 kilometres away on a rugged, unpaved track, villagers often have no choice but to carry sick family members on their shoulders to the nearest bus stop where a sporadic ambulance service may be found.
Local residents say that during monsoon months the already narrow paths turn into mudslides, making even a simple walk treacherous. In the absence of a functional ambulance or reliable public transport, the community relies on collective effort; a group of villagers will lift a patient and walk for hours, hoping to reach basic treatment before conditions worsen.
Health officials from the state government acknowledge the gap and have promised to prioritize road upgrades in the region, but concrete timelines remain unclear. Meanwhile, the villagers of Mane continue to shoulder the burden—literally and figuratively—highlighting the urgent need for infrastructure development to ensure timely medical access in India's far‑flung areas.
Local residents say that during monsoon months the already narrow paths turn into mudslides, making even a simple walk treacherous. In the absence of a functional ambulance or reliable public transport, the community relies on collective effort; a group of villagers will lift a patient and walk for hours, hoping to reach basic treatment before conditions worsen.
Health officials from the state government acknowledge the gap and have promised to prioritize road upgrades in the region, but concrete timelines remain unclear. Meanwhile, the villagers of Mane continue to shoulder the burden—literally and figuratively—highlighting the urgent need for infrastructure development to ensure timely medical access in India's far‑flung areas.