V.R. Pandurangi

BANGALORE: After being appreciated by the World Health Organisation (WHO) for setting up a preventive cardiology centre, claimed to be the only such for sanitation workers in the world, the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has come under fire by the Commonwealth Foundation for abruptly discontinuing the service.

Set up in 2003, the cardiology centre was shut in 2005 for "lack of coordination and clash of egos between the BBMP health officials," V.R. Pandurangi, Emeritus Secretary-General and International Coordinator of Commonwealth Association for Mental Handicap and Development Disabilities (CAMHADD), told The Hindu on Monday.

If the centre is not revived immediately, it might amount to cancellation of BBMP's partnership with the WHO resulting in loss of benefits to pourakarmikas, he said on the sidelines of a CAMHADD workshop on "Prevention of occupational health hazards" in the city.

The centre was set up in Shantinagar Maternity Home to provide healthcare to sanitation workers, including pourakarmikas. Conceptualised with technical support from the WHO, this project was under the BMP's "Healthy City Initiative" taken up in collaboration with CAMHADD, Commonwealth Foundation and the Jayadeva Institute of Cardiology.

The then Mayor C.M. Nagaraj and BMP Commissioner M.R Sreenivasa Murthy had inaugurated the centre on November 5, 2003.

The WHO authorities appreciated the effort and also carried a write up on the centre in one of its annual publications.

More than 3,600 pourakarmikas were screened at the centre between December 2004 and December 2005 and it was learnt that there is a high incidence of diabetes and hyper-tension among the workers.

A team of experts was also stationed at the centre for counselling.

But all that has stopped for the last two years. "More than 400 pourakarmikas were sent to the Jayadeva Institute of Cardiology for follow-up and four of them had undergone angioplasty. It is unfortunate that the project was abruptly discontinued," Dr. Pandurangi said.

Officials blamed

He blamed the BBMP health officials for the failure of the project.

He said he had written three letters to the BBMP Commissioner K. Jairaj in the last few months requesting for the revival of the project. "When there was no response from the Commissioner, I even met him once. He only assured me that the centre will start functioning again," he added.

When contacted, a top BBMP health official said that all efforts would be made to resume the project.

"It had slowed down in between but now we will put it back on track," the official added.

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