NEW DELHI: Jan Swasthya Abhiyan, Indian circle of the People’s Health Movement, a worldwide network of people’s organisations, civil society and public health activists, on Monday hit out at the Centre and the Delhi government over the handling of the riots.
It said the healthcare system completely collapsed during the three days of violence last week. The report, titled ‘The role of health systems in responding to communance in Delhi’, highlighted the challenges faced by the victims in accessing and seeking healthcare during the violence and in its aftermath.
ALSO READ | 'We all have the same story': Making relief camp home in aftermath of Delhi riots
The report documented the first-hand experience of JSA volunteers, who have been on the ground since February 25, as well as accounts of injured persons and their relatives who they interviewed and worked with. It stressed that the Delhi government needs to ensure that the system plays a constructive role in helping survivors heal from trauma and get justice.
ALSO READ: Watery grave running through northeast Delhi after riots
The report says, “far from providing healing from the trauma that victims have faced, the public health system itself has ended up inflicting secondary trauma through acts of commission and omission.”
It also documents the inability of the injured to reach healthcare facilities during the violence; as well as several instances of mobs prevented ambulances from reaching hospitals.
This was compounded by a deep-seated sense of fear and insecurity at government-run hospitals that took root among the injured and their families, it said.