Recently a five day old kid (weighting just 2.3kgs!!!) of
a Kurumba couple, form Pudur area of Attapady, died in Kozhikode (Calicut) Medical
College. This couple lost their first offspring in the same way. According to
reports, with in last 17 months 52 tribal kids died due to malnutrition and
anaemia. In Attapady there were 3 cases of abortion in June and seven cases in
May.
Deaths are neither due to some diseases which modern
medicine is not able to recognise or comprehend nor due to some mysterious illness.
Causes are simple and straightforward - chronic malnutrition and anaemia; two
conditions for which government, healthcare and tribal department knows what
the solution is. But growing death count indicates that authorities often looked
the other way.
I can't believe that tribes were not getting enough food
to eat because of unavailability of funds. Schemes designed for the empowerment
of tribes and development of Attapady region may already exceeded the number water
droplets in Arabian Sea.
Then why they are dying? What is happening to the numerous
schemes designed for them? Why food is not reaching their hands? Why they have
to travel all the way to Calicut/ Thrissur medical college in case of any
emergency? Why there are no specialist doctors in nearby hospitals?
Questions are numerous but who will ask the same to
Kerala Government? Who will make sure that the food grain, cereals, milk,
tablets etc are available in the region (affordable to locals)? Will the
politicians running the state from other end will take time to ask some of
these questions to themselves? Can't they take some time out of Solar Scam
arguments and counter arguments to study the ground realities in Attapady?
Let me remember you that, this is rainy season in Kerala.
Just imagine, what can be the situation of tribes living near to the top of
Western Ghats. Wake up... Do something
Sajeev.
References
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