Dear Friends
Recently some facts related to malaria in Jharkhand were collected from the office of the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP) in Delhi.
A look at these facts gives a rather grim picture of the malaria situation in Jharkhand. These facts are corroborated by reports of a fact finding team which had visited Jharkhand, where the team visited 17 villages of various districts and they observed that none of the women residing in the villages were getting basic medical facilities to combat malaria from the Sub-Centers or from Primary Health Centre (PHC), many of the villages lack PHC and if some village had the facilities of PHC those PHC were very far from the village community and remained often closed. Team also observed just 1 PHC in their way to the village area but discovered, it was not in working condition. ASHAs (Sahiyas) who work as Drug Distribution Center (DDCs) are not present in the villages to provide effective medical care for malaria. In some villages if they are present, they lack basic medical equipments like, thermometer to detect fever, Rapid Diagnostic Kits to diagnose patients for malaria, blood slides to detect if the case is positive, and various anti-malarial drugs to combat malaria.
No facilities for ante natal or post natal care for pregnant women are provided, no community volunteers other than ASHA. No mobile van units are available to provide access to safe medical facilities. In an enquiry, villagers admitted that they have not been given any such facilities and have never observed MVUs in any of the villages. Children were not been provided with the mid-day meals in primary schools and lacked sufficient number of teachers.
Keeping this in view we are proposing that the use of law for combating malaria be explored for getting reliefs from the States Malaria Control Programme.
Suggested dates for the consultation are 16th and 17th August at Ranchi.
Please send your consent for participation on or before 27th of July so that further arrangements for the meeting can be made.
Regards
Sharmishtha, Swapnil and Sanjai
Human Rights Law Network
576, Masjid Road , Jungpura
Delhi-110 014
Tel +91-11-24374501, 24376922
Email nanda.sharmishtha@gmail.com