Bhubaneswar, Oct. 17 -- In yet another shocking example of rural neglect, a critically ill woman had to be carried on a cot through a flooded stream in the absence of a proper bridge in Daspalla block's Guduri Sahi village under Nayagarh district.

The patient, identified as Subhasini Behera, reportedly fell severely ill due to a bout of diarrhoea. With no motorable road and no bridge over the nearby stream, her family was left with no choice but to carry her on a traditional cot across the waterlogged area. They managed to reach Nuagaon Chhak after much difficulty.

To make matters worse, poor mobile network connectivity in the area made it impossible to contact emergency ambulance services. The family finally arranged an auto-rickshaw, ...