Andhra Pradesh - Others   

Tribals complain of poor medicare

Santosh Patnaik

`The Government is denying malaria while distributing malaria tablets' `The Government is denying malaria while distributing malaria tablets'

GAMPRAI (VISAKHAPATNAM DT.): The entire agency belt of the district is reeling under various fevers, even as the Government succour is found to be inadequate.

At several places, girijans are seen shivering due to malaria and viral fever. Most of them have symptoms like high fever, vomiting, dysentery, headache and joint pains.

The exact reason for outbreak of fevers known as mystery fevers -- which occur every year during monsoon -- is not yet known.

Despite declaration of a medical emergency and setting up make-shift relief camps, several girijans during a visit to Pedabayalu mandal complained that they were yet to get proper treatment.

Faced with abject property and illiteracy, most tribals are living in sub-human conditions. Cattle sheds, open wells, hill streams and stagnated water at various places have turned into breeding ground for mosquitoes and other vectors.

Underweighing of ration

The Government, as a relief measure, announced distribution of malaria tablets to all and 20 kg rice per ration card holder. However, during a visit by the Minister for Commercial Taxes, Konathala Ramakrishna, at Peda Kodapalli panchayat in Pedabayalu mandal, underweighment was confirmed at a ration depot.

Farm labourer Pangi Naraiah, who was seen with a blanket, said at Gamprai that though he was affected with the fever, he did not get any medicines from health workers.

However, community health worker Vanikoni Ramakrishna claimed that they had distributed malaria tablets to all in 10 villages coming under Gamprai panchayat.

The Minister and the district Collector, Praveen Prakash, were shocked when they verified the weight of rice distributed to three Girijans.

A shortfall of 2 to 3 kg was noticed in each case. Later, the Collector upbraided the salesman of the ration depot for cheating. ``The Government is handling the situation with kid gloves. They are denying malarial deaths but giving malaria tablets to all the patients. In Vanapaka panchayat itself, 200 tribals are suffering from malaria and other fevers,'' the Bahujan Samaj Party ZPTC member, Premkar Rao, alleged. The former Chintapalle MLA and Congress leader, P. Balaraju, admitted that most of the deaths were due to jaundice and that more seriousness was required for a permanent solution to recurring fevers in the agency.

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