BY PURUSOTTAM SINGH THAKUR
On October 2nd on Gandhi Jayanti, when the members of Gandhi Foundation, Khariar visited the local Primary health centre to distribute fruits and bread to the patients they found a family of Bichhnapali village who were admitted as diarrhea patients. People of Nuapada districts are living with diarrhea since last July. Even the NAC khariar too was affected by it. Out of 52 diarrhea deaths in Nuapada district, 3 are belongs to Khariar NAC.
But Dr. Bajrangbali Jagat, CDMO, Nuapada says so far 27 people have lost their life due to diarrhea in the district.
And its not only the story of Nuapada dictrict but diarrhea has affected all most all the districts of KBK ( Undivided Kalahandi-Bolangir and Koraput ) in general and Raygada in particular.
" When the diarrhea did not stop and my health deteriorated, I decided to call a taxi from Sikarpai to hospital as there was no hope left behind. Prior to that, my family repeatedly called but neither doctor nor the health worker turned up. First my family took me to Shikarpai health center but when did not get well, so left for a private doctor in Raygada. The doctor took Rs.700. And I too had to spent on hiring taxi. In between my two sons were also affected by diarrhea, than they were too admitted in the hospital. " said Shirpati of Satpai village in Kashipur block in Raygada district.
" I had to spent around Rs.6000 for the treatment of the entire family. Now I am in debt. I have borrowed the money from a local money lender who gives money on 50 paise rate of intrest in a rupee" he added. When asked, " How did you repay the amount ? " he said that, It will took him few years to repay.
But the good thing in this case is that, the lives were saved. Satpai is one of the remote village where the diarrhea has been affected. There is absolutely no communication. If you can you can hire a vehicle. But that requires money, which many people does not have in this part of India. Neither many of the people are so lucky to get the medical facilities what ever the way like Shirpati who is little aware than others.
" Some 2050 people were affected by diarrhea this year, out of them 41 people are died till the last week of the September " according to Dr. Benudhar Naik, CDMO, Raygada. But the unofficial record says it is more than hundred. The epidemic out break in mid July of this year.
" In 2007, some 7800 people were affected by diarrhea and 90 people were lost life " says Benudhar Naik, CDMO, Raygada. " Lack of safe drinking water, connectivity and peoples awareness are the factors responsible for the regular out break of epidemic where health department is helpless " he added.
When this reporter visited the district in the first week of August there were around 7 deaths have been recorded and at that point of time also the CDMO said that, " the situation is under control ".
Six blocks have been affected by the epidemic this year. That are Kashipur, K.Singapur,Bisam-Cuttack, Gudari and Raygada.
But by the last week of August and 1st week of September it goes out of control and when there was hue and cry in the media, government pressed in to action. The Chief Minister asked the Health Minister Prasanna Acharya and the health secretary to go the district to monitor and take stock of the situations.
Prasanna Acharaya was there for 3 days and found two reasons for the spread of epidemic which known to all since many many years. He blamed contaminated water and inaccessibility for the outbreak of epidemic in Raygada among others. Besides that, the report said, the remote areas are worst affected. As the villages are inaccessible, decontamination of water was not possible. Majority of deaths are during night and night patrolling parties were pressed into service to provide medical assistance to the affected, the report said. However, inter-departmental coordination is utmost necessary at this time and a special programmed be launched in Rayagada district to tackle the crisis situation, Acharya proposed in his report.
Perhaps he wanted to say neither of the problems belong to his department and shifted the responsibility but his report also reveals that, the lack of co ordination among departments is very well exist.
Some doctors along with para medical staffs were sent from other places including Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. Temporary health camps were in service in some place where the patients were brought and treated. Many people were treated and live were saved. But there were many instances witnessed by the volunteers which well explained the attitude of the government service and its service holders. Some Doctors and paramedical staff deputed from outside says when there is no power, no connectivity nothing and how do the government expect that they will perform.
Ravi Das, the 70 years old social activist shared his experience of Baliguda village of Gudibali panchayat. There are 40/45 house holds in Baliguda village and almost all are very poor. There is tube well but defunct and repaired later when one died recently." When the villagers informed the nearby temporary camp set up by the government about a patient who was serious and requested them to sent the vehicle to transport the patient, the camp in charge a doctor was found missing, the para medical staff who was present there did not respond. When we saw this we also requested them but they said that, why the villagers are not bringing the patient. We told them when the villagers are saying that there was non to bring the old patient as the entire family is affected by diarrhea ! at last when they sent the vehicle it was too late, The 70 years old Binidhar Goud was brought and dead in the camp. " said Ravi Das with anguish.
Dr.Roy of Sarvodaya said, he spoke over phone to a senior state level officer of NRHM and complained about the apathy and their attitude, in reply the officer expressed his helplessness and said, the problem is that, our government people are not ready to step down from the pitch road ! They have attitude problem.
when asked why he is not taking action ? he replied, we already lacking staff so we can not just afford it. And you know the reality how it is difficult to suspend or dismiss even a 4th class employee in the government service.
" Now the season has changed. The continues rains has stopped and so the diarrhea cases. " said Ravi Das. He was here in 2007 when the epidemic was broke out and more than 200 people died, he was also done the same work of relief in Kalahandi last year where around 40 people lost their life.
" Its not just the contaminated water and inaccessibility rather its endemic poverty which is prevailed here. They have no access to safe drinking water and the food as well. They are still forced to take contaminated food like mango kernel and seeds of tamarind, roots and poisonous mushrooms " he added.
Reaching villages for outsiders is a very dfficult task so is for the people living inside. Outsiders can afford to go inside if they wish because they have the purchasing capacity but in case of villagers its beyond their affordable reach. You requires money in every step you go forward. So people even in distress and in badly need of health care prefer to die or forced to die a silent death but fear to go to hospital as he or she knows even its a government hospital you need money for the treatment.
And this reporter witnessd such an incident when he visited recently along with the Sarvoday team Huder village where a 7 years old boy Karan Majhi was found with a fractured and swelling hand, when asked he said he fell down from a guava tree a week back. The doctor with the team expressed his serious concern and said it may be lead to gangrene inside. When asked to his father Ghenu Majhi, he said he can not afford the treatment in a hospital so have treated with some paste of roots found in the forest. Than the Sarvoday team decided to take the boy and his father to Raygada district hospital. Next day he was treated in Raygada and returned to his village. So god knows if the boy would have brought by these people what would have happened to him.
In the same village we met 75 years old Rupali Majhi. When we were talking to some villagers, she came to us and try to listen to us. Than she told us that, " Please make a road to our village. You see the road is not good so you are too facing problem to reach us, you are not able to come with your vehicle. When we are felling ill who will carry us such a long distance to the hospital. So please do this, we will be grateful to you." It shows even the older people of the area understood where the problems are lies.
In the meantime the paramedical staffs have been returned to their respective places outside the district from where they were came and deployed in temporary health centers as the centers are with drawn.
The epidemic has spread to about six more districts including Koraput, Nuapada, Malkangiri, Nabrangpur, Gajpati, Bolangir and parts of Sundergarh. The districts which are known for its poverty and backwardness but, in almost all the districts, 60 percent of the doctors’ posts have been lying vacant for years. There are 128 sanctioned posts of doctors in Raygada but out of it 58 are vacant. Recently after the spread of epidemic the government as appointed 408 doctors on ad hoc in Orissa, out of them very few of them have joined by the end of the 1st week of October. In Koraput six out of 12 doctors have joined. But in fact those six were already working there as contractual doctors. Similarly in Malkangiri one out of 15, In Nabarangpur non out of 7 and in Kalahandi one out of 4 have joined. But that too was also working in the district as contractual doctor.
Its not only diarrhea, Malaria too is known as one of the dreaded killer in this part of Orissa. However, according to CDMO, Raygada, " The district becomes a " malaria endemic zone " during rainy season with about 97 per cent of the patients suffering from falciparum infection which causes brain malaria.
The tribal couple Rajendra and Solomi Majhi of Panabandha village of Tikri block has lost their two children out of four in a week time. Rajendra, who is a landless narrates the agony he has gone through. " I had no money when my son Bina (13) suffered from malaria. I borrowed Rs.200 and trek down to the Tikri hospital with my son on my shoulder. He died there. 5 days later my another son fell ill but I lost him at home because I could not arrange money." Villagers said, in last one and half month time 8 villagers have died in malaria.
Four children below the age of six have died in the Kadapadar village, which is situated just about 10 km away from Tikri following high fever. Health workers visited the village only twice in this tribal dominated village. People are still down with fever, but health workers have not come since the last 15 days. But the health worker blames the villagers, “It is not that easy to work here. We have distributed medicines in all villages. But the villagers dump them in their house.”
The Chief District Medical Officer too says “The villagers rely more on the quacks and people indulging in witchcraft. They come to the hospital as a last resort. Actually, there is lack of awareness,” he said.
But it is not true that villagers do not come to the hospital. But they cannot afford to. “To be aware means to cough up more money,” said Luki Majhi (29) of Kadapadar, who lost his 2-year-old daughter because he could not hire a vehicle at a cost of Rs.800 to take her to the hospital. “As such, during rainy seasons, vehicles do not come to the village as rain cuts off the road.”
“Going to hospital without taking money is meaningless " said Reu Majhi (30), who too has lost his 6-year-old daughter due to malaria.
Every year, diarrhea claims several lives in the inaccessible villages. Children have been a major victims. In the last three years, the infant mortality rate has increased from 78 per to 91 per 1000 children, against the state average of 69.
According to Acharya, vacancy of doctors is a vital problem, not only in Rayagada or KBK area but in the whole of Orissa. “Recently we recruited 408 doctors. All of them have been posted in KBK districts,” he said. But till 10th of October not all of them have joined in their respective places.
" The most irony is that, many children are becoming orphans every year due to these diseases. Either Diarrhea, cholera or Malaria, all are curable one and people dying with out medical attention is a shameful, inhuman and criminal act of the government. " said Ajit Panda, a social activist based at Khariar.
Six years old Shankar Majhi and his five sisters of Jamchuan village in Lanjigarh block, leading a life of orphans as they lost both of their parents last year. Shankar's mother Rupa Dei and 35 years old father Pulu Majhi died of diarrhea one after another. Dumbe Majhi of Madanguda village too lost her husband and her two children became orphan as he was a bread earner of the family. So is the situations in Raygada where every year numbers of children becoming orphans and also added as burden to their kith and kin who themselves are living in poverty.
No comments:
Post a Comment