In Surlabbi, a remote hamlet in Kodagu, the saying “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” has taken on an ironic twist—here, there’s no doctor to be found, apple or not.
The village’s Primary Health Centre (PHC), meant to serve six villages including Surlabbi, Hammiyala, Garvale, Mutlu, Kumbaragadige, and Mankya, rarely sees a medical professional. Despite having a doctor officially posted, locals claim they’ve barely ever seen them.
On most days, a Group D staff member single-handedly manages the PHC, functioning as receptionist, nurse, and doctor. When she’s absent, the centre remains locked. “She gives tablets for fevers and coughs. But if anything serious happens, we have to go all the way to Madapura, over 15 km from here,” said Mani from Mutlu village.
The facility itself has decent infrastructure but remains inaccessible most of the time. When TNIE visited, the health centre was shut—the staffer was away on “personal errands” and the doctor was once again nowhere to be seen.
District Health Officer Dr Satish Kumar confirmed that a full-time doctor had been posted, noting the remoteness of the area and sparse patient turnout as factors. “We’ve instructed the doctor to attend the PHC at least thrice a week,” he said, promising to investigate the matter further.
For now, Surlabbi and its neighbouring villages are still waiting for consistent healthcare access—doctor, or no doctor.