JAIPUR: Nagada, which made headlines across the nation for the death of 22 children due to malnutrition, is in news again owing to the death of a tribal child.
The deceased, identified as nine-year-old Sukura Padhan, son of Mangala Padhan of Upper Nagada village, died of jaundice on Friday night. According to family sources, Sukura had been suffering from an unknown disease for the past couple of months. The matter came to authorities’ notice when the deceased’s family met the medical team visiting their village last month and told them about his disease.
The medical team admitted him to the Sukinda Community Health Centre for treatment. He was shifted to district headquarters hospital (DHH), Jajpur after his condition failed to improve even after four days of treatment.
Doctors at the DHH diagnosed the disease as jaundice. Instead of helping the child’s father, a poor tribal, to avail Government funds for medicines, the doctors at the DHH asked him to procure medicines from the local chemist. Mangala spent all his money on buying medicines for his son. “Doctors at DHH used to ask me to purchase medicine from a chemist. I pleaded with them that I am a poor tribal and have nothing, but they paid no heed. I spent all my money on buying medicines for my son,” said a distraught Mangala.
Later, the child was shifted to Sishu Bhawan in Cuttack where his condition worsened. The Sishu Bhawan doctors asked Mangala to take his son home. The poor tribal returned home with his ailing son on Thursday and the child died on Friday night. Even as the State Government and the Centre have taken a series of measures to check the spread of malnutrition and anaemia among tribal c1hildren in Nagada village, it has not yielded encouraging result. CDPO Tilottama said the boy died despite being treated at hospital.