Malkangiri, Nov 5: As the number of child deaths due to Japanese Encephalitis is rising day by day this is leading to the decrease in the trust of the Malkangiri denizens on the treatment of doctors at the district headquarters hospital. This could be noticed when the district collector was trying to take away the eight-year-old girl for treatment from her parents who were unwilling to admit their child to the hospital on Thursday night. It’s stated that the Collector had reached Daniguda village under Sadar block where after much persuasion was made by the sarpanch, the Anaganwadi and ASHA workers took the child away from her mother to get her admitted into the hospital.
Shanti Padiami, mother of the child and Surendra Padiami, father of the child, outraged expressed anger over this as they did want their third child to die after losing their first two kids at the same Malkangiri hospital. They were ready to get their daughter admit to Cuttack or Berhampur hospital but not in this ill-fated hospital. Elaborating about the incident, Purnima Parida, ANM, Dangiguda, said that On Nov 2, a blood test of the girl was done. But she was found Malaria negative. Athough efforts were being undertaken to take the kid to the hospital, all the efforts fell flat. Her parents were not in senses due to death of her two siblings. As the girl’s condition worsened, another blood test was conducted. After the reports came which said that she was JE-positive, then also the parents did not agree to get her admitted. Finally, the girl child was taken by the district Collector along with the ASHA and Anganwadi workers to the hospital.
Notably, death toll due to Japanese Encephalitis in the district has risen to 86 in past few months and the State government is still clueless about the solution.
