Ailing Manipur woman carried to Assam on bamboo stretcher amid road crisis

An ailing woman from Deigie village in Tousem Sub-Division of Manipur’s Tamenglong district was carried on a makeshift bamboo stretcher to a hospital in Assam on September 4 after poor road connectivity left villagers with no viable means of taking her to a healthcare facility.

The woman, identified as Heziakgale Pame, wife of Heichiliang Pame, was taken to Lamina Hospital at Pailapool in Assam. Villagers said her exact illness has not yet been confirmed, though she was reportedly suffering from blood in her stool.

With the road connecting Tousem with Tamenglong district headquarters in poor condition, villagers said they could not transport her to District Hospital Tamenglong. They instead carried her towards Assam, crossing the Jiri River, from where comparatively better road connectivity allowed them to reach Pailapool.

The incident has once again highlighted the difficulties faced by residents of the remote Tousem subdivision, particularly during medical emergencies. The lack of motorable roads continues to hamper access to healthcare and other essential services in the area.

Tousem, which borders Assam and Nagaland, is among the most underdeveloped areas of Tamenglong district. Residents have long raised concerns over poor roads, limited healthcare and education facilities, inadequate banking services and difficulties in accessing government offices.

The latest incident has renewed calls for immediate improvement of road infrastructure and essential services in the subdivision, with villagers saying patients should not have to be carried on makeshift stretchers and cross into another state simply to access basic medical care.