The Collapse of the Public Health System:Disastrous fallouts in Orissa
— D P Bakshi
The elitist and rootless Chief Minister of Orissa, Mr. Navin Patnaik, is being rated as an ideal CM by corporate houses and MNCs. He is not only known for the heinous killings in Kalinganagar while championing the interest of the Tatas, but also for ensuring the rampant loot of huge mining resources in Orissa, and the exploitation of cheap labour for the MNCs. He has also been instrumental in dismantling essential public services, particularly health and education.
Illegal nursing homes and corporate hospitals in the healthcare sector, and private medical and engineering colleges are mushrooming all over Orissa, while government-run primary schools and healthcare centers are languishing under lack of funds or basic infrastructure. And the effects of this state of things is open for all to see.
Firstly, on 14 July 2007 female feticide hit the headlines in Orissa when a seven female fetuses were found in a polythene bag in Ramchandrapur village in Nayagarh district. According to eye witness accounts, each foetus was at least 6 months old and some even as old as 8 months, with the first growth of fine hair! The nearest police station is only 2 km away, and yet the they showed total apathy and complete inaction. Upon being questioned by members of fact-finding teams which arrived in the area soon after, the police arrogantly replied that they were not required to take any initiatives unless the District Medical officer orders any action.
This incident rocked the entire state and brought to light the nexus between owners of unlicensed nursing homes, corrupt doctors and medical officials, and the police.
Secondly, within a week another shocking piece of news came to light. On the basis of a complaint lodged by a consumer, the vigilance department dispatched a team to test medications available at a medical shop in Bolangir district. The results of the test confirmed that those medicines were fake medicines. As a result, the fake medicine racket run by one Mr. Agarwal with the help of a wide distribution network in backward regions of Orissa and other states was unearthed. This led to protests led by different opposition parties and social activists including CPI (ML). The police were forced to arrest Mr. Agarwal and one Drug Inspector.
Thirdly, before thought could be spared for cleaning up the system, the tragic news of cholera deaths in South Orissa appeared in the media. These deaths occurred in August 2007 in the Kashipur area which had already been in the limelight some years ago due to starvation deaths of poor tribals, and where Navin Patnaik had received a welcome in which tribals threw dried mango kernels at him in protest. Now cholera had spread in 5/7 panchayats and had reached epidemic proportions; it also spread to Koraput and Kalahandi districts. The most crucial part of the episode is utter negligence of the government, administration, and of the skeletal remains of the Public Health system, and the helpless victims of the disease have just queued before death’s door.
On 1 September 2007 a 10 member fact finding team led by CPI(ML) Liberation State Secy. Com. Khitish Biswal and Rayagada Dist Secy. Com. Tirupati Gomango to visit Kashipur. They covered at least 15 to 20 villages. As per observations of this team: it seems that there is no administration and health service to speak of in Kashipur. With minimum health support and preventive steps in adjacent areas many lives of these poor tribal people could have been saved. Even in the ill-equipped hospital at the block headquarters of Kashipur partially-cured patients were being released from hospitals at night to admit new patients. It is likely that the death toll from cholera may reach thousands.
After returning from Kashipur Com. Khitish Biswal & Tirupati Gomango addressed a press conference at Rayagada and after revealing their observations demanded for
Immediate resignation of Health Minister
Rs 5 lakh compensation for deceased people
Booking criminal cases against medical officials for their negligence
Immediate supply of well-equipped mobile medical vans in affected areas and installing temporary medical camps.
Interestingly, despite the usual readiness shown by Navin Patnaik in sacking has ministers at the first opportunity in case of exposure of any scam or scandal, in this case he refrained from taking any action against those responsible. The mystery lies in the fact that the health minister defended himself by showing a copy of letter to the media in which he allegedly informed the CM about ongoing irregularities.
Against this backdrop the Congress gave a call for Orissa Bandh on 10 September 2007 against anti people acts of the Navin Patnaik-led BJD-BJP government. The CPI and the CPM supported this bandh unconditionally.
CPI(ML) Liberation, New Democracy and Kanu Sanyal jointly issued the call for an Orissa Bandh on the same day against pro-imperialist and anti-people policies of both the Congress government at centre and the BJP-BJD in Orissa. An independent propaganda campaign was also launched before the Bandh. On the day of the Bandh CPI(ML) Liberation in collaboration with ND & Kanu Sanyal mobilised people to the streets in Bhubaneshwar, Rayagada, Gunupur, Parlekhemudi, Kudrepeda etc. and were arrested by the police after a few hours of campaigning. The bandh was totally successful.