Lack of telecommunication services in Naxal-affected Gadchiroli district has affected health services, with more than 40 per cent villages in the district having no access to landlines or mobile phones.

According to sources, there are 1,687 villages in Naxal-hit Gadchiroli district, which have 45 primary health centres and 376 sub-centres. There are temporary roads to reach 596 villages, while 728 villages have approachable roads and 129 have no approach roads, they said. Barring Wadsa tehsil, there are 791 villages in the remaining 11 tehsils which lack communication system. During rainy season, some villages are cut off from the rest of world.

The southern area of Gadchiroli district has Aheri, Sironcha, Bhamragad and Etapalli tehsils and all four tehsils are Naxal hit and have dense forests. There are 428 villages in these tehsils where cellphone and telephone facility is not available, sources said. Under such situation, officials and staff of Health department face lots of problems in providing medical services in rural areas without  telecommunication facility, as they go to the villages and provide medical services in the areas after getting information about health scenario, sources added.