Rushi Sahare
Editor
Gadchiroli : Last year in September, two siblings died suspiciously within half an hour of each other in Aheri taluka of Gadchiroli district due to lack of proper treatment. The names of the deceased siblings are Bajirao Ramesh Veladi (6 years) and Dinesh Ramesh Veladi (3 years). Since there was no ambulance available at the primary health center, the tribal family in a remote area had to carry the bodies of the children on their shoulders and walk on muddy roads to reach their home, which is 15 kilometers away. After this incident, the dismal picture of the health system in Gadchiroli district was once again exposed.
As the administration did not take any concrete steps after this incident and instead of giving justice to the victim’s family, they were made to stand in the cage of the accused, Azad Samaj Party, Gadchiroli office bearers Dharmanand Meshram, Raj Bansod and Vinod Madavi filed a complaint directly with the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes, Delhi. Taking cognizance of the complaint, the National Commission has issued a notice to the District Collector. The district administration has been given 15 days to submit a written reply. It has also been said that if no reply is received within this period, further action will be taken using the powers of the civil court.
Questions raised in the complaint?
1) There is a huge shortage of health infrastructure and specialists in Gadchiroli district.
2)There is a huge shortage of quality healthcare due to the vacancies of many doctors and medical staff.
3)There is a provision to establish ‘Special Health Centers’ for Madiya tribals. However, no health center has been established in Gadchiroli district as per these provisions yet.
4)Traditional healers (priests) have never been included in the formal health system or educated about modern medical technology and methods. Due to this lack of education and coordination, many unfortunate incidents have occurred that could have been avoided.
What are the demands?
1)Compensation to the victim’s family.
2)Filling of vacant hospital beds, construction of primary health centers and provision of ambulances in large numbers.
3)Traditional healers (priests) should be educated about modern medical technology and methods without criminalizing them.
4)Airlift i.e. helicopters should be arranged to provide emergency health services to patients in remote areas.
5)A special committee should be formed to study the health problems of the tribal community.
6) The commission should visit Gadchiroli directly and understand the health issues.
The development expected by the tribal community has not yet been understood by the government system. The concept of development is imposed on them without considering their special needs. The office bearers of the Azad Samaj Party said that the tribal understanding is being deliberately exploited by completely ignoring the major needs of education and health as required by the Constitution. They also said that while the tribal community is being destroyed in the name of development, we will try to resolve their issues through legal means under the guidance of experts.
