Kendrapada: Frontline health workers are risking their lives to provide medical care to marooned families in Kendrapada district, travelling by boat through crocodile-infested floodwaters and snake-prone channels to reach villages cut off by the deluge.
Medical teams have been conducting door-to-door health check-ups and distributing essential medicines in several inundated villages, including Dasarajpur, where floodwaters have isolated residents from basic services. Undeterred by strong currents and the threat posed by crocodiles and venomous snakes, the teams have turned boat decks and village verandahs into temporary clinics. They are distributing antibiotics, oral rehydration solution (ORS), and other essential medicines while screening residents for waterborne diseases and other flood-related illnesses. “Our priority is to reach the people who are stranded without medical assistance. We could not wait for the flood waters to recede,” said Madhusmita Lenka, a health worker from Barakanda, describing the challenging conditions under which the teams are operating. The medical outreach highlights the severity of the flood situation in Kendrapada, where several villages remain cut off from the outside world. Despite the difficult terrain and safety risks, healthcare personnel continue to serve vulnerable groups, including children, the elderly, pregnant women and those suffering from illnesses.
Officials said mobile medical teams will continue visiting flood-affected areas in Mahakalapada and other inundated pockets until normal services are restored. The efforts of the health workers have provided a crucial lifeline to marooned communities, underscoring their commitment to ensuring uninterrupted healthcare delivery even in the midst of one of the district’s worst flood situations.
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