82 children have died in Magadh division
Bihar is in the grip of yet another lethal outbreak of viral encephalitis, which has claimed the lives of 82 children in the Magadh division so far. The latest death was reported on Sunday.
The division's only government hospital, the Anugrah Narayan Magadh Medical College Hospital, has been swamped with 383 cases of encephalitis, with an average of six cases pouring in each day.
This is the second major bout of encephalitis to strike the State since the onset of monsoon this year, with more than 50 children dying in the Tirhut division in June.
Hospital sources ascribe more than a third of the 82 deaths to the lethal Japanese Encephalitis virus.
Disturbingly, the issue has barely found any space in local dailies, whose main pages have been devoted to unwanted details of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's ‘Seva Yatra.'
Shortage everywhere
As cases pour in, the hospital faces a severe shortage of bag valve masks (commonly called Ambu bags), supportive medicines and doctors, as some of Bihar's most indigent and illiterate communities struggle to cope with the outbreak. Power and water problems further bedevil the hospital, often at the wrong moments.
The medical ventilator rests idle without qualified personnel to man it. At least 12 children died owing to lack of ventilatory support, an informed source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Among those discharged, at least 190 children developed severe neurological complications leading to movement disorders, facial palsy and mental retardation, says Ajay Kishore Ravi, head of the Paediatrics Department.
An emaciated Roshni Kumari, 5, carried by her father Arjun Manjhi, flicks her eyes, straining the muscles of her larynx to utter words in vain; like several children, she lies helplessly in a dystonic state, having been struck by encephalitis.
“We have asked such cases to report frequently to the OPD, where physiotherapists are aiding them with speech therapy and neuro-vitamins...some are showing positive signs of recovery,” states Dr. Ravi.
The doctors, overworked and understaffed, prefer to analyse results in terms of statistics, percentages and “case studies.”
“Our death rate is a little over 20 per cent, which is well below the expected 40 per cent deaths in encephalitis cases,” says Dr. Ravi.
Lack of decent sanitation facilities within the hospital premises have forced women to use the open space outside as toilet. “The hospital's lavatories often do not have regular water supply. At a pay toilet, we are charged Rs.3 or Rs.4, which we cannot afford,” says Sarita Devi, as she attends to Golu, her six-year-old son.
Twenty-four days since the outbreak of the disease in August, Health Minister Ashwini Kumar Chaubey has visited the hospital just once before busying himself with Lal Krishna Advani's ‘Jan Chetna Yatra.' Till date, no concrete steps had been taken to combat encephalitis which has been recurring over the past decades.
Total breakdown
While Bodh Gaya, barely 20 km from the epicentre of the outbreak, has been kept in top order to secure the attention of royal personages, investigations by The Hindu along the fringes of Gaya district revealed a complete breakdown of preventive public health mechanisms.
In 2009, 46 children died of viral encephalitis here. A massive immunisation drive that followed in the division resulted in no encephalitis case being officially recorded in 2010. But no awareness programme or immunisation drive was carried out that year, said medical sources.
“We had a defogging drive last month after the current outbreak of encephalitis. We have given targeted children the prescribed DPT boosters. We perform our duties as and when instructions and funds are given to us,” says Surendra Chowdhary, the newly appointed District Immunisation Officer.
If you read through the article, one important problem to maintain sanitation will be observed.
The para goes like this:
" Lack of decent sanitation facilities within the hospital premises have forced women to use the open space outside as toilet. “The hospital's lavatories often do not have regular water supply. At a pay toilet, we are charged Rs.3 or Rs.4, which we cannot afford,” says Sarita Devi, as she attends to Golu, her six-year-old son."
Private persons affiliated to some political party have taken over the contract of maintenance of Pay&Use lavatories and they make as much as possible from users. The poor seek the open spaces for defecating and misery for everyone continues in vicious cycle. Politicians scheming for money in spectrum auction is understood but making money in "pi**ing and shi**ing" is terrible.
Its high time the government must increase public funding on health sector which is less than 2.5% of GDP as compared to other nations of the world. The basic min. facilities are also lacking from PHCs & CHCs and this is taking heavy toll on our demographic dividends. Let's hope government rises from its ignorance that of feel good and everything is fine with people of India......
It is a shocking revealation against the tall promises and constant portrayal of Bihar as a state where things have moved remarkably by media.Encephalitis has grown up into a mammoth epidemic and the health department is yet to take immediate stringent measures to curb it!.This massive incompetency by state health department to cope up with it is clear result of constant government apathy.It is worth mentioning here that Anugraha Narayan Medical College & Hospital was conceptualised in early 60's to be developed as one of Asia's finest super speciality hospitals and it remained an ideal one untill government took over it.Its state of the art infrastructure was razed and team of illustrious medical professionals from across the country migrated in search of better alternatives! If the Bihar government is really serious about revitalizing health sector in Bihar;the Hospital could be developed as one of leading centres of excellence in eastern India.
still bihar is in problem no one is trying to solve this.the politicians are not concentrating on the condition of government hospital still. i have seen these conditions so many times in bihar. we have so many source to solve this but why we are not using it?
The governance in India has to change dramatically in terms of farming policies and implementing them. It is a shame that we are not prepared for such epidemics even at this age. Despite tax payers paying so much to the government, the benefit isn't reaching the right person at right time. What kind of economic super power are we going to be, if we can't even ensure safety of our citizen.
Health Sector of India needs a major revamp. Feeling so bad for those poor souls.
Dear Media: Rightly said by by fellow citizens.Let us leave Anna Hazare and his team (enough coverage has been given to them) and concentrate on other critical issues like Health Care and such epidemics. Media kindly turn your eyes on OTHERS as well. Let the Politicians of this country be BUSY with YATRAS which has become a HOBBY of todays POLITICIANS. Let us provide the basic needs like Sanitation facility to the common man. Why not the big corporates of India divert some of their profits, ADOPT such villages and do some service to their fellow country men.
The need of the time is not just low cost cars and tablet PC,s but also medicines and vaccinations.These NTDs are eating into the wealth of India, its most precious wealth, the villages of India. It is the actual power house of our country.What can we do to improve researches on better farming machinery and techniques? What all shall be done to shift the advantages of our research and ancient wisdom to the betterment of present generation and future prosperity? If we can develop a Tablet PC, if we can send a rocket to the moon, why cant we design and develop low cost tractors and intelligent irrigation systems? If we can save the 25 % of the total power generated from being lost to theft and transmission loss, we need not have to think of any other new sourse of energy.We have abundant wind, solar and tidal energy sourses.The development in the researches reg these renewable fields can be benefitial for our villages as they could be made the stake holders of them-their farms and fields
A part of the corporate tax waived by the Central Govt could be used to develop primary health centres across India and provide children with better schools and food. Just include a cess fee or corporate penalty on polutting companies and Cigerrate/Tobacco companies. The entertainment tax for one year from all the state and central goverments could be kept aside as a nutrition fund for adolescent girls and weak mothers. Corporates as part of their Social Responsibility programs can adpot a school or a village and help the people be self supportive by giving them vocational training. More funds again from the waived off corporate tax amount could be used to generate better quality, if not world standard granaries. The state and central govt can start a market based pension plan or monthly income plan for all those under BPL and other acute categories including war widows and homeless old people.The tax raised from petroleam products can be used to fund the research on green energy.
For God or name sake we have excellent pharma&medical companies and research laborateries. We have huge funds for medical departments for both state and center. Are the pharma companies only to export to outside the products and make money? Why don't government officers/staff don't pro act than re-act by taking public money as salaries? Its very shameful for sucessive state and central governments for couldn't protect child from brain fever. Thanks, Kumar
One media report quotes (TOI) `India remains the dirtiest and filthiest country in the world' rural development minister Jairam Ramesh said on Monday, lamenting that people in many areas had access to mobile phones but not toilets. Why can`t the minister launch a drive `Don`t spit, urinate and throw wastes in public places'? It is not necessary to have toilets everywhere as one wishes to pass urine. Before departing from home/workplace, one should clear his/her bladder and wait for a toilet at a known place. Can`t they skip spitting on roads? We must keep our country clean to prevent diseases. We produce doctors to serve in foreign countries. Even if they remain in India, they will not move out of cities. Can`t we do something to restrict all these? Start more hospitals and medical colleges by appointing retired doctors and make the doctors to work more in shifts by paying extra.
Why is such injustice meted out to poor people? While the rich take all precautions to shield themselves from this, and also develop an agnostic ignorance by indulging themselves in mindless political propaganda, why should the poor suffer?. Is the district administration sleeping, i know in Bihar every 4 out of 5 youngsters want to become an IAS, but at what cost? If the younger generation join hands to start a drive and sensitize the people about such effects emanating from harmful diseases, they will certainly take precaution. Nobody would want to go to a hospital by purposely falling ill. When Nitish Kumar won the elections, he promised a wave of change, i am just having a feeling that the wave is turning in the wrong direction.
what has happened in Bihar is bound to happen in other 'resurgent' state s also like Delhi or Mahrashtra .It is a sad state of affair throughout India even after 60 years independnce.the satire in 'Resurgent' is not called for as it reduces the report into politically biased and immediately loses its significance ...Very bad and sad
Excellent coverage, this is what is missing in most of the dailies those always dedicate their headlines for corrupt politicians. This is where hindu comes as a saviour for dowuntrodedn ones to pinpoint their needs. Both government and the so called journalists should learn lot of lessons from this artile
without putting any blame on the administration we the people of Bihar should work together to combat this deadly viral. However the government should enable the adequate nos of ventilators and necessary ameneties at war footing, and must take care of proper sanitation around hospital area.
It is pathetic to see India is not prepared for any disease outbreak. We have to strengthen the public health system. we need to have high number of epidemologists around the country. In a developing country like India we will face more problems not only by infectious diseases but also other chronic diseases due to over pollution. we are still sleeping.
Absolutely pinpointed title. Portrayal of Bihar as a state where things have moved considerably by media bypassing the facts is real shame. Break out of encephalitis and incompetency by state health machinery to cope up with it is clear result of poor priorities. This is also result of lofty announcement and poor implemention of programmes on ground because of apathy towards suffering of poor. Chief minister Nitish Kumar better put focus on these issues instead of doing so many yatras and learning nothing from it.
In this day and age, where we are planning mission to moon and mars we could not adequately cover immunisation properly.Its shame for the planning commission which continues to increase the fund for such initiatives. We do need to have accountable regional governments to help fellow Indians and not just pass the buck by blaming the previous government .If money is an issue government should create charity for the fund and the money generated again should be well spent.Private media organisation should be made to allocate time and space for the health issues at stake.At the end of the day a son or a daughter of any community or creed should be given a chance to live until then we are a developing nation! Hope someone dreams differently.
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