Madikeri: Kodagu district branch of the Indian Red Cross Society has bagged the best district award in the field of health care for tribal people, Deputy Commissioner Subodh Yadav said here on Thursday.

Mr. Yadav heads the Kodagu branch of the Indian Red Cross while the former president of the Kodagu Zilla Parishat J.A. Karumbaiah and the Chief Executive Officer of the zilla panchayat are the vice-presidents of the unit. He said over 10,000 persons in the district had availed themselves of free medical camps in Kodagu in the last one year, of which more than 7,000 were tribal people.

Several tribal people were diagnosed for tuberculosis, gangrene, leprosy, eye defects, diabetes, and hypertension. A few of them had tested positive for HIV and some were diagnosed with cancer. Those requiring higher treatment were sent to referral hospitals free of cost. Mr. Yadav told The Hindu that the Red Cross wing had organised health camps at Thithimathi, Kutta, Kushalnagar and Somwarpet. Indian Red Cross units in Tumkur, Udupi and Belgaum districts were chosen for the award for their encouraging works in different fields.

The Kodagu unit, with the help of the district administration and the zilla panchayat, had increased the Red Cross membership to over 700 in the district for the past six months.

The Deputy Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer of the zilla panchayat K. Sundar Naik and Mr. Karumbaiah received the award from the Governor at a function in Bangalore on May 8.

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