Protest demanding regular supply of IFA Tablets Karnataka Janaarogya Chaluvali, Raichur district protested in front of the IB in Raichur town where the District in charge Minister and Minister for medical Education Dr. Sharan Prakash Patil was camping during his visit for the Independence day flag hoisting. In spite of sowing season and with wages ranging from Rs. 300- 400 per day around 100 activists from Lingsgur, Manvi, Deodurga, Raichur and Sindhanur taluks arrived early morning and waylaid the Minister before he went to hoist the flag. The district in-charge minister received the memorandum from Ambanna, who highlighted the recent spate of maternal and neonatal deaths in the district and the districts complete lack of responsibility about the same. The district administration was sluggish to respond to the lack of supply of IFA tablets, the underlying cause of increasing anemia and consequent maternal and neonatal deaths. The Minister acknowledged that lack of supply of IFA tablets was indeed a serious issue and he will take action immediately. It was also pointed out that taluk hospitals were dysfunctional without specialists, blood bank facility and even neonatal Protection Unit. He said appointments were proving to be challenge. Even though Rs. 100000 was being offered no one was willing to take up the offer. He said that the state has proposed a Compulsory Rural Service Act which is awaiting the Central government approval. The District Committee demanded an appointment from him for a joint meeting with the district administration and the sanghatan representatives. He said he will discuss with the DHO and give a date for the meeting within a week. KJC- Raichur district committee Meeting Shivram Reddy from ROOVARI, described the various actions of the KJC Raichur district of the past six months and explained the need to keep a constant watch on the Public health system. He said there was a need to protect what is presently good in the system while confronting those aspects that need to change. He gave the example of the medical officer from Matamari PHC who served for 14 years in the PHC and is remembered even today very fondly and with respect. He reiterated that medicines given in the government centres are the best and inexpensive while those in private are those which fetch the doctors commission and frequently of poor quality. Ambanna explaining the days protest said that the memorandum lists all the problems which perhaps plagues not just Raichur district but the whole country. Raichur district has always shown the way forward for others in the state. He gave the example of how malnutrition in Racihur was foregrounded by sanghatans here and it led to comprehensive changes in the anganwadi. So he urged that we intensify our struggle on health issue. He said that the Minister has agreed to have a meeting where we will raise all the problems. based on the response in the meeting we will plan our strategy, he suggested. Discussions ranged from increasing unethical links between government staff and private sector, exploitation in different nursing homes, the fact that people have forgotten the existence of the government health facilities. Mokshamma from NJMO said that they would like to initiate a similar exercise as that of JMS which held PHC level public dialogues and then escalated it to the taluk hospital. Shivagenappa from Samuha said that they would like to initiate a similar exercise. Chinnamma and Narsamma shared JMS experience of conducting public dialogues, the responses they received from the PHC staff and how the community has become a little more attentive to issues in the health system. In fact it was because of the protest in Manvi taluk hospital that they appointed a gynecologist. So there have been small incremental changes in the system. Narsamma said that having moved to the district now it will require a concerted effort from all taluks to bring about changes. Samuha took the lead in Deodurga, while NJMO decided that they will lead actions in Lingsgur and parts of Manvi where they are working and initiate PHC level dialogues and move upto the taluk hospital in the next few months. It was decided that as this process gets underway the district committee will plan a district level public hearing. Participating organisations: NJMO, JMS, Snehajeevi, ROOVARI, BGVS, GRAKOOS and Samuha
Posted on: Fri, 22 Aug 2014 06:24:04 +0000
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