JOIN US Endo Virodhi Horata Samithi, Kokkada, will file a case against health department, for contempt of court, for furnishing false information to the High Court Justice during a hearing on Endosulfan victims, on November 7, 2012.
Addressing a press meet here on Wednesday, Committee President Sridhar Gowda has said that Health, Family Welfare and Ayush services Commissioner in his reply to the High Court judge has said that the health department has initiated measures to identify Endosulfan victims, to issue smart cards to avail free health care facilities, to provide vehicles to carry victims to the hospital, home based palliative care wherein one staff nurse has been deployed to provide health care in each affected gram panchayat limits and to provide mobile medical unit in the affected villages.
Unfortunately, all these measures have not been implemented even after nine months. According to an information sought by RTI Activist Sanjeev Kabaka, the health department has accepted the fact that all the promises made before the judge have not been implemented.
In its reply, the officials from health and family welfare and Ayush services said that smart cards have not been issued to the victims so far in Dakshina Kannada.
Measures will be taken to distribute smart cards, once the committee recommends the victims names to the government.
On vehicle to carry victims to the hospital, the reply said that an ambulance service has been provided in Kokkada primary health centre. However, the ambulance has become defunct within 20 days. On home based palliative care, the reply was negative and proposal will be sent to the government to provide mobile medical unit in affected areas.
The reply said that 1505 Endosulfan victims have been identified in Uttara Kannada and a sum of Rs 1.90 crore has been sanctioned to provide treatment to these victims.
The reply said that in Udupi district free medical health care facilities have not given to the victims, home based palliative care and mobile medical units have not been started yet.
He said the department had said that Dakshina Kannada district administration had constituted two committees to provide recommendations on rehabilitation package to Endosulfan victims. If the committees had to recommend for the package, then what was the need for health department in the district? Sridhar Gowda asked.
The district administration should clarify on the members in two committees and also criteria for selecting the members to the committees.
Gowda said that health department principal secretary had recently said that ailments related to Endosulfan has not been proved till date, which is not true. District Reproduction and Child Health Officer Dr Rukmini M had stated that free scanning facility will be provided to pregnant women in all the primary health centres and community hospitals under Janani Suraksha Scheme.
However, such facilities are not offered in reality, Gowda said. Free scanning facility has been offered by the government to the Kokkada gram panchayat residents in a scanning centre at Puttur.
However, the department has neglected pregnant women in all other Endosulfan affected areas.