Kaliapani:Even as the state government and the Centre have taken a series of measures to check the spread of malnutrition and anaemia among the kids of Juanga tribal community in hilltop Nagada villages in Sukinda valley, yet another kid was found afflicted with anaemia in Lower Nagada village Thursday.
The state government and the Centre stepped in to bring in development in Nagada, a cluster of villages in Jajpur district, after the death of 22 children in 2016. However, despite best efforts of the government, problems like malnutrition and anaemia are still persisting in these villages.
The kid was identified as three-year-old Udi Padhan, son of Mangulu Padhan. The toddler’s health has been deteriorating fast despite a medical team from the district health department visiting the villages every Wednesday and conducting check-up of the tribal families and distributing them medicines.
Various departments of the district administration have tried hard to regain the confidence of the tribals but blind belief and superstition are so ingrained in them that they hardly believe anybody.
According to Dr Rabindra Kumar Mishra, a member of the medical team, the child was admitted to Sukinda hospital two months back. However, the child’s health deteriorated again after his father fled with him from the hospital in the middle of treatment without informing anybody.
The doctor, after learning about the problem from a blood test of the child, tried to convince his father but the latter is yet to realize the gravity of the situation. Dr Mishra twice tried to admit the child in Sukinda hospital within the last eight days but his father had refused to do so.
Mangulu after losing his faith in the doctor tried to cure his son by sacrificing a hen to some deity. He has alleged negligence by the doctor in his son’s treatment.
Child development project officer Tilottama Mohapatra tried to admit the child in the hospital but his father refused to oblige while she has no knowledge about the present situation.
