Watch: First They Took a Toe, Then His Life Khabar Lahariya December 15, 3:06 pm Rural healthcare is quite the powerful oxymoron in India. </amp-youtube> <p>It’s the India of 2016 and yet in the would-be smart, digital, cashless rural landscape, those who live in abject poverty and far-flung areas still have little or no access to basic medical amenities. The presence of a few functioning clinics, hospitals or doctors results in people travelling for several kilometres at a stretch to get help for minor problems. Often, they go without it. <amp-ad width=336 height=280 type="doubleclick" data-slot="/22631205490/ATD_ScienceThewire_AMP/ATD_300x250_TOP" data-multi-size="300x250,336x280" rtc-config='{"vendors": {"aps": {"PUB_ID": "600", "PUB_UUID": "0cacadd5-7d2a-4f53-879f-72337dd1f3a2", "PARAMS":{"amp":"1"}}},"urls":["https://us-east-pbs.automatad.com/openrtb2/amp?tag_id=AjBO0V_ATD_300x250_TOP&curl=https://science.thewire.in/health/watch-first-they-took-a-toe-then-his-life/"]}' data-enable-refresh=30> </amp-ad> <p>And so, with this perpetual shadow of ill health hanging over a chunk of the rural population, can we be surprised at the anger and distrust at the rural healthcare system that most families harbour? <p>As it often happens when an emergency strikes, there are two choices: the horrifying path of deteriorating sickness; or worse, putting their faith in an unqualified doctor whose treatment often claims lives, with little accountability. <div class="amp-flying-carpet-text-border" style="background: black; color: white; text-align: center;">Advertisement</div> <amp-fx-flying-carpet height="400px"> <amp-ad width=336 height=280 type="doubleclick" data-slot="/22631205490/ATD_ScienceThewire_AMP/ATD_300x250_INR_New" data-multi-size="300x250,336x280" rtc-config='{"vendors": {"aps": {"PUB_ID": "600", "PUB_UUID": "0cacadd5-7d2a-4f53-879f-72337dd1f3a2", "PARAMS":{"amp":"1"}}},"urls":["https://us-east-pbs.automatad.com/openrtb2/amp?tag_id=AjBO0V_ATD_300x250_INR_New"]}' data-enable-refresh=30> </amp-ad> </amp-fx-flying-carpet> <div class="amp-flying-carpet-text-border" style="background: black; color: white; text-align: center;">Advertisement</div> <p>This is the scenario in which the misfortune of falling ill – the curse, really – fell upon Manohar of Barabanki district in Jaichandapur village of Barabanki. A village barely two hours from the state capital; a district with a dismal record of 175 beds per population of ten lakh, from government health facilities. With not enough money for doctor visits and ill-gotten advice from a local quack, he went from bad to worse – from losing his toe in an unnecessary surgery, to losing his life. <amp-ad width=336 height=280 type="doubleclick" data-slot="/22631205490/ATD_ScienceThewire_AMP/ATD_300x250_INR3" data-multi-size="300x250,336x280" rtc-config='{"vendors": {"aps": {"PUB_ID": "600", "PUB_UUID": "0cacadd5-7d2a-4f53-879f-72337dd1f3a2", "PARAMS":{"amp":"1"}}},"urls":["https://us-east-pbs.automatad.com/openrtb2/amp?tag_id=AjBO0V_ATD_300x250_INR3&curl=https://science.thewire.in/health/watch-first-they-took-a-toe-then-his-life/"]}' data-enable-refresh=30> </amp-ad> <amp-ad width=336 height=280 type="doubleclick" data-slot="/22631205490/ATD_ScienceThewire_AMP/ATD_300x250_INR4" data-multi-size="300x250,336x280" rtc-config='{"vendors": {"aps": {"PUB_ID": "600", "PUB_UUID": "0cacadd5-7d2a-4f53-879f-72337dd1f3a2", "PARAMS":{"amp":"1"}}},"urls":["https://us-east-pbs.automatad.com/openrtb2/amp?tag_id=AjBO0V_ATD_300x250_INR4&curl=https://science.thewire.in/health/watch-first-they-took-a-toe-then-his-life/"]}' data-enable-refresh=30> </amp-ad> <amp-ad width=336 height=280 type="doubleclick" data-slot="/22631205490/ATD_ScienceThewire_AMP/ATD_300x250_INR1" data-multi-size="300x250,336x280" rtc-config='{"vendors": {"aps": {"PUB_ID": "600", "PUB_UUID": "0cacadd5-7d2a-4f53-879f-72337dd1f3a2", "PARAMS":{"amp":"1"}}},"urls":["https://us-east-pbs.automatad.com/openrtb2/amp?tag_id=AjBO0V_ATD_300x250_INR1&curl=https://science.thewire.in/health/watch-first-they-took-a-toe-then-his-life/"]}' data-enable-refresh=30> </amp-ad> </div> <amp-sticky-ad layout="nodisplay"> <amp-ad width=320 height=50 type="doubleclick" data-slot="/22631205490/ATD_ScienceThewire_AMP/ATD_320x50_Footer" data-multi-size="320x50" rtc-config='{"vendors": {"aps": {"PUB_ID": "600", "PUB_UUID": "0cacadd5-7d2a-4f53-879f-72337dd1f3a2", "PARAMS":{"amp":"1"}}},"urls":["https://us-east-pbs.automatad.com/openrtb2/amp?tag_id=AjBO0V_ATD_320x50_Footer&curl=https://science.thewire.in/health/watch-first-they-took-a-toe-then-his-life/"]}' data-enable-refresh=30> </amp-ad> </amp-sticky-ad> </article> <amp-analytics type="googleanalytics" id="googleanalytics"> <script type="application/json"> { "vars": { "account": "UA-61798895-6" }, "triggers": { "trackPageview": { "on": "visible", "request": "pageview" } } } </script> </amp-analytics> </body> </html>