The Hindu : National : 10 tribal children die of `malnutrition' in Orissa

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jul 24, 2004

National

National

10 tribal children die of `malnutrition' in Orissa

By Prafulla Das

BHUBANESWAR, JULY 23. The sorry state of the public healthcare system in the interior parts of Orissa has been exposed yet again with the death of 10 tribal children in Nawrangpur district due to alleged malnutrition.

The children, aged 2 to 5, died at Dongiriguda village under Jharigaon block of Nawrangpur between June 11 and July 1. The victims had diarrhoea and fever a few days before their death. None got medical treatment because the nearest community health centre at Jharigaon was 30 km from the hamlet.

Six being treated

Six other children from the village with similar symptoms were brought for treatment only after the authorities came to know of the deaths early this week. Four have been admitted to the Jharigaon health centre and two to a hospital at Nawrangpur, according to the Nawrangpur District Collector, Arabinda Kumar Padhee.

Mr. Padhee said the children died due to acute respiratory tract infection and colitis with worm infestation. There was no shortage of food in Dongiriguda and most of the families in the hamlet had been issued gratuitous relief cards.

Facilities lacking

Dongiriguda, with a tribal population of about 300 people, is a non-revenue village in the reserve forest area. Not having the status of a revenue village, the residents of Dongiriguda are deprived of government facilities such as roads, tubewell and houses under the Indira Awas Yojana.

What is startling is that 25 medical officer posts lay vacant in Nawrangpur district. Jharigaon block is also without a Block Development Officer for more than a month.

The post of the Child Development Project Officer in Jharigaon is also lying vacant and another officer is now officiating as CDPO.

Issue in Assembly

Mr. Padhee has convened a meeting of the office-bearers of Panchayati Raj institutions tomorrow and another meeting of the voluntary organisations on Sunday.

The district has a staggering 1,769 registered voluntary organisations.

The Opposition raised the issue in the Assembly today. The Health Minister, Bijayshree Routray, told the House that a team of experts from the MKGC Medical College and Hospital had left for Dongiriguda to ascertain the actual cause of the deaths.

The Dongiriguda deaths alone are not pointers to the poor healthcare system in the State.

Nineteen children had died after being afflicted by a mysterious disease in Baramba block of Cuttack district between April and June.

In 2001, when a large number of people died in Kashipur block of Rayagada after eating unhygienic food, only one of the six Government health centres in the block had a medical officer.

The Block Development Officer post too was then vacant.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

National