DEHRADUN: As many as 1,390 people lost their lives due to tuberculosis in Uttarakhand between 2015 and 2018, according to the data with the state health department. The data was brought to light through an RTI request filed by advocate Rajendra Prasad.
Prasad, a practising lawyer and resident of Dehradun, said, “After I got the data, I filed a complaint with the Uttarakhand Human Rights Commission over deaths of these people. Tuberculosis is no longer an incurable disease, and deaths of these people could have been avoided. Somewhere, the government lacked.”
The commission has issued a notice to the state health department seeking its explanation for the deaths of such a large number of people. The matter will be heard again on November 25. In Haridwar, 260 people lost their lives to TB. Dehradun reported 210 deaths, Udham Singh Nagar reported 194 deaths, Nainital 161 deaths, Pauri 110 deaths and Chamoli 109 deaths. Deaths have also been reported from several other districts. According to the data published in TB India Report 2018, more than 45 cases of TB were reported every day in Uttarakhand in 2017.
The number of cases increased by 10% in 2017 compared to the previous year. As many as 16,760 cases were reported in 2017, which is 1,679 more than the 15,081 cases reported in 2016. A total of 13,012 cases were reported by government hospitals while 3,748 cases were reported by private clinics and hospitals.