South Orissa public health infrastructure in shambles

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Santanu Barad

16 September, 2010

South Orissa Students Association (SOSA) has written to Orissa Chief Minister seeking his attention to Cholera deaths and poor state of health care system in southern parts of the state.

MOST OF the districts in South Orissa and Rayagada district in particular are under the grip of cholera for past one month. Thousands of people are affected by the epidemic and more than hundred lives have been lost. However, the state government has been found wanting in addressing the outbreak of cholera and in taking prompt action to control it, lamented the South Orissa Students Association (SOSA) in its letter to the Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

While the outbreak of water-borne diseases are nothing new for the Districts of the region, which recur almost every year, but there is hardly any visible action and alacrity shown by the state government in addressing it. In recent months water-borne diseases have been reported from Mohana block of Gajapati District, Udayagiri block of Kandhamal District, Bhanjanagar block in Ganjam District and from adjoining districts like Nabarangpur, Nuapada and Kalahandi. But, what is baffling is the complete inaction of the state Health Department, which preferred to
monitor situations sitting in the State Secretariat, allege SOSA.

The students’ body states that southern part of the state has two-third of its population below the poverty line and a large chunk of them live in remote villages and are tribal. But, unfortunately the public health infrastructure in the region is in shambles and the state government has done precious little to improve the situation.

While the need for a second medical college in south Orissa is being widely felt, the existing hospitals in the region are facing shortage of medical staff and equipments. While health indices of southern districts of the state are extremely disturbing, the state government has been insensitive towards improving health facilities and providing basic services like clean drinking water and ambulance services.

SOSA, demands prompt action to check the spread of Cholera and proper medical facility for the affected people, apart from ensuring clean drinking water to these remote villages.

While ex-gratia compensation has been provided to victims on flimsy grounds in the past, people falling victim to such diseases, arising out of government neglect, have not been paid any compensation till date. SOSA has urged the CM to take into account the utter poverty and backwardness of the villages into consideration and provide proper compensation to the affected families.

The media has reported that special medical teams have been sent to the affected villages but that doesn’t seem to be adequate. “We urge you to personally monitor the grave situation and open medical camps in all the affected villages on war footing’ demands SOSA.

The Government has not been able to provide safe drinking water to the interior parts of South Orissa. “We request you to take immediate steps in this regard and punish the officials who work only on pen and paper while people depend on village ponds and nearby streams to meet their drinking water needs” appraises SOSA while seeking attention of Chief Minister.

Chief Minister has been urged to follow the Andhra Pradesh model of ambulance on call, which has started 108 Ambulance service in collaboration with EMRI, in the backward Districts of South Orissa.
As a long-term measure, we request you to strengthen the health infrastructure in south Orissa and to consider opening super-specialty hospitals in all these districts. The diversion of Medical staff from MKCG medical college at Berhampur, which is the only referral medical college in the region, need to be stopped and steps must be initiated to upgrade it to an AIIMS level Medical College.

Many other states have pushed their medical colleges to be upgraded to AIIMS level under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY), but it is regrettable that Government of Orissa has not shown any interest so far in pushing the case of MKCG Medical College which caters to this vast underdeveloped region urges the students body while seeking attention of Chief Minister to above issues and to redress the outbreak of water-borne diseases in Rayagada and adjoining southern districts and hope that such massive loss of human lives on account of state neglect will be stopped through prompt and effective measures.