Mother walks 7 km carrying ailing daughter in Vizianagaram tribal village; MP announces ambulance

A woman in a tribal village in Andhra Pradesh's Vizianagaram district walked about 7 km carrying her sick daughter on her shoulder, after heavy rain and a storm left the village without a road and an ambulance could not reach it.

The village is Pallapu Dungada, a small tribal settlement in the Srungavarapukota area. Janni Sunkaramma lives there with her 12-year-old daughter, Sampurna. A few days ago, heavy rain and a storm washed away all the village's unpaved tracks and cut it off completely from the outside world.

At that time Sampurna fell seriously ill. She had a fever and could not walk. The village has no dispensary and no doctor. Sunkaramma lifted her daughter onto her shoulder, took a water bottle and a small bag in one hand, and set out on foot.

The way was strewn with mud, stones, streams and fallen trees. Along this route she covered about 7 km and reached the foot of a hill called Dabbagunta. From there she found an auto-rickshaw and took her daughter to a private hospital.

Doctors treated Sampurna. After the treatment, Sunkaramma again carried her daughter on her shoulder on the way back and reached home.

The story spread on social media and drew expressions of concern. Minister Nara Lokesh took immediate note and asked officials to act at once. Following his instructions, MP Vijay Chintakayala announced an ambulance for the village.

Rajya Sabha MP Vijay Chintakayala said, "Now no mother will have to become an ambulance herself." He has announced a brand-new ambulance for Pallapu Dungada from his MPLADS (Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme) funds. He said it was a small effort on his part.

This is not the problem of one village alone. Remote tribal areas such as this still lack paved roads, and villages are cut off as soon as the rains come. Road work needs to be completed quickly so that no one else has to carry a child on their shoulder as this mother did.