BARIPADA: Proving the recent SBI research report stating Odisha accounts for the highest percentage of deaths in country due to treatment by untrained healthcare providers and practitioners correct, a 55-year-old man suffering from back pain was allegedly administered three livestock injections by a quack in Mahuldiha village under Thakurmunda block of Mayurbhanj district on Sunday.
The quack Biswanath Behera (62) of Kantipal in Keonjhar district, administered the injections to one Srikanta Mohanta claiming to be a doctor of Thakurmunda community health centre (CHC). Though the victim did not develop any complications and is reportedly stable, the incident has raised concern over lack of awarenesss among people in rural areas.
That Behera was let go by police even after knowing that he had given livestock medicines to a human has brought to the fore the complete indifference of the State administration to such a serious issue as public health. What is most appalling is he was let off by the police on condition that he will bear all treatment costs of Srikant if he develops any health problem due to the livestock injections.
The SBI study has revealed the very disturbing situation in the State. As high as 36 per cent of people who died in Odisha in 2019 were attended by untrained functionaries against the national average of 18.3 pc. Quacks are flourishing all across the State, not sparing the rural or urban areas, with the government turning a blind eye to the menace.
Sources said Srikanta was suffering from acute back pain since the last few years. At around 9 am on Saturday, Behera reached the village and claimed that he has come from Thakurmunda CHC to treat chronic diseases. When Srikant’s wife Mukti came to know, she approached him. The quack assured Mukti that he would cure Srikanta within 24 hours and it was a minor case for him.
When he visited their house, he asked Srikant about the disease and symptoms and then administered the three injections consecutively within a gap of just five minutes. He also handed over 15 tablets to Srikant to consume twice a day and charged Rs 470 for the treatment.
His son Manoj became suspicious and checked the injections only to find that those were meant only for cattle. “Manoj took a picture of the medicine bottle on his mobile phone and sent it to me to clear his doubt. I immediately sent the same photo to a doctor of Thakurmunda who confirmed that the medicine is used for animals and not for human use. I then reached the spot and confronted Behera,” said Ranjan Mohanta, district president of Bharatiya Krushak Morcha.
Mohanta said, Behera initially said he was a resident of Jagatsinghpur district and served as doctor of Thakurmunda CHC. The villagers took him to Mahuldiha police station, where he produced Aadhaar card and other documents which revealed that he was a native of Kantipal in Anandpur area of Keonjhar district. The villagers later took Srikanta to Thakurmunda hospital. He was discharged after monitoring.Even as Behera was not booked, Karanjia SDPO Sudarshan Gangi said that police is look into the matter and necessary steps will be taken soon against him.