Government wakes up after 100 die

BHUBANESWAR: The State Government today decided to continue with the scheme to provide financial incentives to the tribal patients to draw them to      hospitals.

The decision was taken at a high-level meeting presided over by Chief  Minister Naveen Patnaik here today. Naveen reviewed the situation in the southern tribal districts of the State where diarrhoea and dengue have started taking their toll.

Despite the assurance given by the Health Department that the situation is under control, things seem to be far more serious. Even though close to 100 persons have died of diarrhoea in Rayagada, Nabarangpur, Koraput, Kalahandi and Malkangiri districts, the State Government is yet to declare it as an epidemic.

Large-scale vacancies in doctor posts, paramedics and other key officials have exposed the Government’s lack of preparedness in dealing with the situation of such seriousness.

 The Chief Minister today directed that besides health department employees, employees of other departments should also be deployed in the affected areas to assist the  doctors and paramedics to deal with the situation.

Besides, the officials have also been directed to ensure that every village  has access to potable water and uncontaminated food. Deaths due to diarrhoea and contaminated food have become an annual affair in the backward tribal districts where many villages do not have tubewells.

The meeting also discussed the spread of dengue in several urban areas of the State, including Bhubaneswar. Naveen underscored the need for taking steps to ensure release of stagnant water in many areas besides creating awareness among the people about the disease.

Minister for Health and Family Welfare Prasanna Acharya, Chief Secretary  Bijay Kumar Patnaik, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Aditya Prasad Padhi, secretaries of health, rural development, urban development and senior officials were present.