The health scenario in Visakha Agency continues to be alarming with diseases such as malaria, typhoid, diarrhoea, viral fevers, and skin problems becoming rampant. Despite three deaths due to malaria and 40 due to diarrhoea, the government has not taken any action to control the diseases, CPI (M) district committee has said.
“The situation is bad and it is necessary to declared health emergency in the Visakha Agency and taken steps to control diseases on a war-footing. With a view to downplaying the severity of the situation, the government is not registering the names of patients,” party State Secretariat member Ch. Narasinga Rao and district secretary K. Lokanadham said.
The family of each deceased person must be paid Rs. 10 lakh as ex gratia, they demanded.
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“Anti-mosquito spraying has not been done in time. No action has been taken to control scabies in welfare hostels. Though ‘Chloroquin’ and ‘Promozon’ medicines are being continued, better medicines and injections are needed,” they said.
“Only six out of 22 doctors are available in Araku Area Hospital and supply of medicines here is grossly inadequate. Seventeen PHCs are without doctors and 220 posts are vacant in the sub-centres. Even the 21 contract doctors are not being paid salaries for the last 10 months,” the CPI (M) leaders said.
The party supplied Rs. 3 lakh worth medicines after examining 3,000 girijans in eight mandals at free medical camps, but the government’s response to the situation was pathetic, they said.
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The party would conduct dharna in front of the tehsildar offices in the 11 Agency mandals on August 25 demanding that the government provide better medical aid and drinking water to the girijan villages.