Endosulfan victims seek centralised palliative care hospital in Kasaragod

Victims forced to seek treatment at hospitals in distant places

Endosulfan victims have accused the State government of taking no steps for the establishment of a centralised palliative care hospital in Kasaragod despite a Supreme Court order five years ago to provide medical facilities and treatment to them.

M. Chandravathi, mother of a 14-year-old endosulfan victim residing in Vellikoth, said proper medical and palliative care alone would help keep her mentally-challenged daughter from turning aggressive and violent. “Kasaragod has no palliative care facilities. And, I am forced to take her to hospitals at Mangaluru or at times the Government General Hospital when her conditions worsens. This, physically, emotionally and economically drains us,” she lamented.

Sajitha, another endosulfan victim, said she had to travel to Mangaluru or Thalassery for her cancer treatment. “The pension for endosulfan victims is my only source of income,” she said.

During the pandemic, Sajitha was in deep crisis unable to go to hospital and get medicines. “However, the government intervened to procure medicines costing around ₹1 lakh from Mumbai,” she said.

The Confederation of Endosulfan Victims’ Rights Collective, which helps survivors, pointed out that the National Human Rights Commission in 2010 had recommended the establishment of a centralised palliative care hospital with the support of the State government.

“But no steps have been taken in that direction. Endosulfan victims relied on an empanelled hospital in Mangaluru and Government Medical College Hospitals in Kannur and Kozhikode and even Thiruvananthapuram for treatment,” K.K. Ashokan, secretary of the confederation, said.

He added that the National Health Mission, replying to a Right to Information petition filed in 2010, said that it was constructing a rehabilitation village with multiple facilities on 25 acres in Kasaragod. “But no modalities have been worked out for the project,” he said.

Incidentally, Dr. C. Jayakumar, former member of Endosulfan Relief and Remediation Cell, said parents and relatives of victims were reluctant to shoulder the financial expenses of taking their wards to hospitals.” If a palliative care hospital is established in Kasaragod, doctors and other health care workers can be retained in the district permanently,” he said, adding that victims at present depended on medical staff deputed from other districts.