People's Democracy

LF Govt Tackles Malaria Threat 

TRIPURA is reaping the harvest of all out preventive measures already adopted on a war footing by its pro-people Left Front government. The situation is absolutely under control in the state in respect of both viral diseases like malaria and water-borne diseases like gastroenteritis, endemic in certain remote inaccessible areas especially during the dry season.
  
The absolute apathy to public health on the part of the power-hungry Congress government of neighbouring Assam has taken its toll through an almost statewide malaria epidemic leaving a total of 500 people dead over the last fifty days.
  
Requisitioning of adequate number of helicopter flights for transport of crack medical teams to conduct special health care camps and making the most of modern technology available at every such camp is the key to the control achieved by the Tripura government over malaria. But the Congress leaders including the ministers are busy working out poll arithmetic with chief minister Tarun Gogoi holidaying in Bangkok even while malaria is raging in seven districts of Assam at this moment.
  
In sharp contrast to the absolutely apathetic attitude of the Assam administration despite forewarning in February last from union health ministry regarding the possibility of a malaria outbreak in seven districts of the state including those adjacent to Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh, the government of Tripura is well aware of the fact that prevention of diseases with just modern technology like rapid diagnostic kits and proper medicines is not possible without prevention of starvation. Tripura health minister Tapan Chakraborty stated that all over the state, the districts as well as the sub-divisions and block administrations, the public works department and Tripura tribal areas autonomous district council administration have been working in close cooperation with the health department on the field level. All the hospitals from the rural to the state level have been alerted besides cancellation of leave for all categories of health department personnel, storage of adequate quantity of medicine, spread of DDT by the municipality and panchayat administration, using of a total of 35000 rapid diagnostic kits for on the spot sampling of blood in all the health cure camps and supply of a special repellant for spraying on the mosquito curtains due to refusal of the centre to supply medicated curtains, Tapan Chakraborty informed. Citing a specific instance of the state government’s sensitivity in this connection he said that last week immediately on receipt of information about two malaria deaths from remote Damchhara-Khedachhara area of North Tripura, the chief medical officer of the district rushed to the area and has been camping there along with a medical team. Besides, since May 5, drinking water has been supplied from tankers in the area and district administration has created additional man-days to provide jobs in three phases for the local people rendered jobless by the police of neighbouring Mizoram clamping a ban on them against using the river Longai to transport bamboos to downstream markets. The health minister also informed newsmen that the state government would not hesitate from making use of additional helicopters for the purpose of conducting further health care camps in remote hilly areas of Tripura.   

In stark contrast, thousands of malaria patients in neighbouring Assam are writhing in the throes of death in jam-packed hospitals and health centres. Despite the visiting teams of specialists from union health ministry, Dibrugarh Medical College and All India Institute of Hygiene and Public Health, Kolkata, pestering the Assam government to immediately dispatch rapid diagnostic kits to affected districts, it has not yet taken a single step. It could only strike a contract with three commercial companies for supply of rapid diagnostic kits and there are allegations that around one crore rupees was paid as commission to a person close to health minister of the state Bhumidhar Barman. They are busy with kickbacks even as the very inadequate number of existing sprayers are lying idle for lack of DDT in Assam.