Raisuan: The government spends crores of rupees towards eradication of tuberculosis (TB), but the efforts seem to be ineffective in some hilly remote pockets of Keonjhar district where the disease has been taking a toll.
Apathy of the health department and administration and poor awareness among the people living in far-flung areas are said to be the factors responsible for failure of TB eradication programmes.
Reports said crores of rupees are allocated for awareness, but such drives allegedly remain confined to pen and paper while funds are grossly mismanaged.
This is evident from the fact that in Raisuan over 30 people have died of the disease in one year while over 200 are affected by it. Of the affected, many people are in critical state for lack of proper medication.
Families of the TB affected people said medicines are not made available to the patients as a result of which they die.
Within a month, two people have reportedly died of TB and two of jaundice in Mahadeijoda, Raisuan reported death of three persons due to TB in the last few days.
Puspa Munda (22), wife of Dasara Munda, of Burudisahi in Mahadeijoda panchayat was under treatment for a year, but her condition worsened.
The woman was first admitted to the district headquarters hospital and then shifted to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack. She died Monday. Dasara lamented that he could not give medicine to his wife due to poverty. The family is now in distress.
This was not the lone case of TB, there are several people affected by the disease in the same village.
Minati Munda, Shyam Munda, Basu Munda, Banamali Munda and Bikram Munda of Munda Sahi, Sunil Soy of Ranthamara, Amin Nayak and Subansi Munda of Madarangajodi, Suli Munda (10), Balaram Munda (13) of Dalimapur and Tutu Behera of Raisuan were affected by TB.
Many TB patients alleged that even though they take medicines, there is not much improvement in their condition.
A doctor, requesting anonymity, said the government-supplied medicines are not upto expected standards. There is a need to improve their standards, he noted.
Locals demanded that the district administration should take immediate steps to check the spread of TB.
PNN