Baripada: Despite the health department taking several measures to wean people away from traditional healing practices grounded on superstition, incidents of people falling back on them are still pouring in.
The latest incident was reported from Udala area in Mayurbhanj district Saturday. It came to the fore after the parents admitted their ailing baby girl to Udala government hospital.
According to a source, a toddler from Tikarpada village under Khunta police limits had complained of stomachache Wednesday. The mother of the child consulted her brother who took her permission and branded the child with hot iron on her stomach. Far from being cured, the toddler’s health condition deteriorated further.
With no other option left, the woman took her daughter to Udala government hospital Saturday. The child is out of danger, informed pediatric Dr Laxmikanta Pati, who is treating her.
According to Pati, instances of such treatment practices are yielding no result and sometimes leading to deaths of many. Unfortunately, people are still following the same practices mostly in tribal-dominated districts of the state. Awareness programmes launched by the government have little impact on them, he rued.
PNN
