Denial
of basic treatment, food and shelter to Leprosy Patients by Govt. of Odisha
resulted in beggary, hunger and impoverishment among them
Leprosy
work is not merely medical relief, it is transforming frustration of life into joy of dedication, personal ambition
into selfless service- Mahatma Gandhi
Dear friends
Leprosy patients are seen neglected,
mal-treated and forced to beggary
in Odisha due to apathy and indifferent attitude of the State Govt.
for years together. Many of the Leprosy
Home and Hospitals located in Hatibari of Sambalpur district, Badapada of
Balasore district, Puri town of Puri district and Nuabazar of Cuttack district
are completely mismanaged due to absence of doctors, nurses, dressers and lack
of infrastructures. The patients are not
provided adequate treatment and their wounds are not dressed with medicine and
left to survive at the mercy of God. Due
to lack of treatment, hundreds of leprosy patients are disabled and forced to
begging along roadside, in front of temple etc.
Since 2002 with Nabin Patnaik,
as Chief Minister coming to power,
leprosy elimination programme
faced big disaster due
to conspiracy of the state
bureaucracy to show elimination of leprosy
from Odisha by manipulating data.
For example, in 2003, name of total no. of 1, 27,084 leprosy patients was
arbitrarily withdrawn from the Register
through bureaucratic manipulation.
In the
year 2001, after the global elimination was achieved, a target was reset for
the remaining 14 countries to achieve elimination on national basis by
December, 2005. India was one of these countries. The National Health Policy, Govt. of India sets the goal of elimination
of leprosy i.e. to reduce the no. of cases to < 1/10,000 population by the
year 2005.The National Leprosy Eradication Programme of India took up the challenge with the active support
of the State/ UT Governments and dedicated partners in the World Health
Organisation, the International Federation of Anti Leprosy Associations (ILEP),
the Sasakawa Memorial Health Foundation & the Nippon Foundation, NOVARTIES,
DANLEP (1986-2003) and the World Bank. In
2005, India declared to achieve the goal of elimination of leprosy as a public
health problem, defined as less than 1 case per 10,000 populations, at the
National Level in the month of December, 2005. As on 31st
December 2005, Prevalence Rate recorded in the country was
0.95/10,000population.
In Odisha , in response to
call given by the Central Government to
achieve target of elimination of leprosy, in 2004-05 and 2005-06, the
State Government without practically taking any steps for elimination of leprosy patients, launched
“Cleaning of Register Campaign” by forming District Technical Support Team ( DTST) to eliminate name of patients from the Register to show that leprosy has been eliminated . This was a data manipulation strategy to
achieve the national target. By declaring
elimination of leprosy in Odisha with false data, the State Government neglected
exercise of identification and treatment
of leprosy patients in hospitals.
As per the statistics obtained
under RTI, it was found that number of
leprosy again increased just after 2005
Situation of leprosy patients in Odisha
(Information obtained under RTI)
|
Year
|
Total patients
identified
|
Percentage of
leprosy patients as per 10,000 population
|
Disabled due to leprosy disease
|
Total SC and ST
population affected
|
% of total leprosy patients
|
|
2005-06
|
8477
|
1.65
|
3.19
|
2643
|
31.17
|
|
2006-07
|
5088
|
0.65
|
1.89
|
2209
|
43.11
|
|
2007-08
|
5685
|
0.80
|
1.83
|
2927
|
42.69
|
|
2008-09
|
6381
|
0.87
|
3.30
|
2751
|
42.44
|
|
2009-10
|
6481
|
0.87
|
3.75
|
2009
|
30.99
|
|
2010-11
|
6742
|
0.85
|
3.87
|
3134
|
46.48
|
|
2011-12
|
8342
|
0.99
|
7.11
|
3813
|
45.87
|
|
2012-13
|
8226
|
0.98
|
7.42
|
3814
|
46.36
|
|
2013-14
|
10645
|
1.47
|
12.00
|
5226
|
49.46
|
|
2014-15
|
9004
|
1.23
|
11.36
|
3652
|
45.60
|
|
2015-16
|
10174
|
1.35
|
11.31
|
4972
|
48.90
|
|
2016-17
|
10645
|
1.19
|
10.31
|
5705
|
53.58
|
The above-mentioned data shows
that trend in rise of leprosy patients started just after declaration of
elimination of leprosy in Odisha. Now it has been acute as it has crossed the
limit as less than 1 case per 10,000 populations
fixed by WHO as a
public health problem. In 2002, when 38,349 leprosy patients were
undergoing treatment posing acute health problem in the state (7.1 per 10,000
population) , the high-level Committee
of the State Government on dt. 7.12.2002
citing no reasons abolished 850 posts of leprosy workers out of 1251 posts. Rest
404 leprosy workers were abjured in 314 PHC/CHC and 90 urban health
Centres. Then in 2004, in the name of policy of integration, the State Govt. declared that
identification and treatment of leprosy
patients will be undertaken
in CHC/PHC and urban health
centres. But practically, it does not happen. Generally the doctors, nurse
never touch the patients and treat their wounds. The post of Dresser is lying
vacant in many health centres. The
patients were just provided MDT (Multi Drug Therapy) dose (this drug came into wide use from
1982 following the recommendation by the WHO Study Group, Geneva in October
1981) which has been reduced from 24 months to 11 months. Leprosy patients were seen neglected and
denied treatment. Many patients also died
of lack of treatment. However, in 2006, the State Government declared that they
succeeded to achieve the target of elimination of leprosy as less than 1 per
10,000 by manipulating data and eliminating names from the registers without
providing any treatment. But practically, due to Govt. negligence and apathy,
since 2006 the number of leprosy patients starts rising in Odisha in every
year. The situation has been very
horrible and
declining in the state.
As the identification and treatment of patients
has been left to health workers who are
untrained having no idea
about leprosy treatments, the
patients are not only denied treatment
but also deprived of
rehabilitation as required for their
livelihood. In view of trend of increase of patients in the state, in 2014 the
Central Government suggested a proposal to State Government to fulfil vacancy
of 321 para-medical workers and appointment of 184 additional leprosy workers
and sanctioned 4 crores for it. Sri
Damodar Rout, the then Minister for Health and Family welfare endorsed this proposal and directed to the
Department to ensure appointment. But the bureaucracy did not carry out the
order. The sanctioned amount of Rs. 4 crore was returned back to Central Government with no appointment.
On the other hand,
Odisha has 14 number of
Leprosy Home and Hospitals which
caters treatment and housing the leprosy patients . These
leprosy Homes were
established by Christian Missionaries during
British period. The Missionaries were
rendering their services starting from treatment to providing
food and shelter to the leprosy patients
who were forced to leave
their family and village due to social stigma. In 1950 after
independence, Hind Kusth Nivarana Sangh
( HKNS) was formed
as registered body under Societies Registration Act to look into management of Leprosy Home and
Hospitals. In Odisha, Hon’ble
Governor is the Chiarman and Chief
Minister is the deputy chairman of HKNS. Out of 14 Leprosy Home and Hospitals, 7
are non-existent and other 7 Home and hospitals are located in Cuttack Nua bazaar ( 120-bedded),
Balasore, Dhenkanal, Nawarangpur, Sambalpur-Hatibari, Dhenkanal, Bolangir having
each 20-bedded hospitals. But
these hospitals are totally neglected, mismanaged with absence of doctors,
nurses and other staff. In 2015 and
2016, a fact-finding team of Social Activists had visited
Homes and Hospitals located at
Balasore, Hatibari and Cuttack to study the condition of leprosy patients and management of hospitals. It was found that the leprosy patients are denied
basic treatment; their wounds are not being dressed properly. Medicine is not
given them properly. The State Govt. allots only Rs. 50.00 towards food per
patient per day and Rs.300.00 towards soap,
cloth, oil per year which is insufficient for them. A measurement of 40 acres of land of Cuttack
Home and Hospitals has been encroached by outsiders. Similarly, in Bhubaneswar a plot No. U-9/A measuring 80 ft x 66 ft located
at Bhoi Nagar, Unit-9 which was
allotted by General Administration
Department in 1989 for
construction of the office of
HKNS has been encroached by
State Govt. officials of Health and Family Welfare Dept. The situation of Hatibari Homes and Hospitals is horrible and suffer from intra-fighting and groupism
among the patients , corruption
and embezzlement of fund. Since last 20
years, not a single leprosy
patients has been rehabilitated by the Govt.
Since last five years, the Civil Society Groups and
Leprosy Organisations have raised
the issues of leprosy patients
and taken up the following
activity in order to give justice to them.
Action Programme
1. Three Fact-finding Team under leadership of
Pradip Pradhan , RTI Activist and Convener of Civil Society Forum had visited
Sambalpur-Hatibari, Balasore and
Cuttack in 2015 and 2016 to
understand the problem of the patients. The fact-finding Report has been
submitted to Governor, Odisha, chief Minister and Minister for Health and
Family Welfare, Govt. of Odisha to
take steps for the effective management of leprosy Homes
and Hospitals.
2. In
2016, a memorandum was submitted to Dr.
A.B.Otta, the then Revenue Divisional
Commissioner, Central Zone, Cuttack seeking his intervention to return back the encroached land
of Cuttack leprosy Home and
Hospitals and ensure its effective management.
3. Two complaint case have been filed to National Human Rights Commission and Odisha Human Rights
Commission seeking an inquiry into alleged
mismanagement of Homes and Hospitals
and protecting the right of
leprosy patients to access food, shelter
and livelihood and ensuring their
rehabilitation. The case is pending.
4. In
September, 2016, a Dharana programme was
organised in front of Raj Bhawan highlighting problem of the leprosy
patients and a memorandum was submitted
to Governor, Odisha seeking his
intervention as Chairman of Hind Kusth
Nivarana Sangh.
5. On
30.4.18, a Mass Dharana was
organised under banner of Joint Action Committee of Leprosy
Organisations with participation of
hundreds of leprosy patients and Social
Activists demanding the following points and a memorandum
was also submitted to Chief Minister to
solve their long-standing problems.
Our demands
a. Decision
dated 7.1.14 taken by the them Minister for Health and Family Welfare for
fulfilling vacancy of post of Leprosy workers in the state
in order to ensure effective treatment of the patients.
b. Leprosy
patients residing in Rural areas and NAC and Urban areas are to
be provided land under the right to land of Slum-dwellers Act, 2017 and financial support for construction of houses under Pradhanmantri Awas Yojana on priority basis.
c. Each leprosy patients should be provided a
pension amount of Rs. 1000.00 per month instead of Rs.300.00.
d. The
different posts lying vacant in Leprosy Home and Hospitals should be
filled up on war-footing way. Each patient should be allotted Rs. 100.00 towards food instead
of Rs. 50.00 and yearly allowance for cloth
and others should be Rs. 1000.00.
e. The
Govt. should take immediate step to acquire/ restore the land
of Leprosy home and Hospitals located at Cuttack and Balasore and land allotted to HKNS in Bhubaneswar encroached
by outsiders and Govt. officials.
f. The
Govt. should take measures for
rehabilitation of leprosy patients.
g.
The Govt.
should provide free education to
the children of leprosy patients and
provide them opportunity of employment.
Pradip Pradhan
Vice-President
Joint Action Committee of Leprosy Home and Hospitals, Odisha
Bhubaneswar Email-pradippradhan63@gmail.com
M-9937843482
Date- 5.5.18
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