: Despite tall claims by the State government that it had ensured targeted intervention in tribal belts of Attappady to fight poverty and undernourishment, infant and neonatal deaths continue to stalk the region where multi-crore welfare schemes have failed to reach out to pregnant and lactating mothers and children.
Five-month-old Prayaga of Sholayur tribal hamlet died on Saturday of underweight-related complications and heart ailments at the Government Medical College in Thrissur. The child was referred to Thrissur by Government Tribal Super Specialty Hospital at Kottathara three days ago as there were no specialst doctors there. Two weeks ago, 12-year-old R. Manikandan of Swarnapirivu tribal colony died of anaemia. Health Department officials confirmed that anaemia and malnutrition still existed in the tribal belt and there was no age barrier in this case. Health workers have already prepared a list of over 3,000 anaemic tribal children requiring immediate attention in the region. Prayaga was the sixth among infant deaths reported in Attappady since January this year.
Figures with the Integrated Tribal Development Project (ITDP) and the Tribal Speciality Hospital say at least 10 cases of neonatal deaths were reported here since January this year. There were at least nine near-term intrauterine deaths and a minimum of 23 recorded cases of spontaneous abortion since January.
Most of the malnutrition and infant mortality cases have been reported from remote areas of Pattimalam, Vellakulam, Nellipathi, Kottamala, Kavundikkal, Palur, Vattalakki, Kallakkara, Thoova, Upper Manjikandi, Lower Abbanur, Kolappadi, Chavadiyur, Upper Mulli, Veerakallu and Bhoothivazhi.
Going by the 2011 census, Attappady’s tribal population has dwindled from 90.26 per cent in 1951 to a bare 34 per cent of the area’s total population now. In absolute terms, there are only 30,658 tribespeople in the 192 hamlets of Attappady now. Three years ago, the Central and State governments had launched no less than Rs.500 crore worth of schemes for them, but that does not appeared to have reached the tribespeople in any life-altering ways.
Last week, Health Minister K.K. Shailaja had visited Attappady and promised steps to revitalise all defunct community kitchens, which offer at least one nutritious meal a day to children and pregnant and lactating mothers. “Each community kitchen requires provisions like milk, eggs, pulses, millets and quality rice to bridge nutrition deficiencies. But in practice, only rice and one variety of pulse reach most of these community kitchens. Besides, the anganwadi workers who are in charge of the community kitchens are now being given additional responsibilities and are not able to concentrate much on nutrition-related challenges,” said an official in ITDP.
