Kendrapara: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued a notice to the Principal Secretary of the state Health & Family Welfare (H&FW) department, seeking a detailed report on the lack of healthcare facilities in Keonjhar district. The notice was prompted by a petition filed by rights activist Radhakanta Tripathy.
The apex human rights panel of India passed the order last week, following concerns raised by the petitioner about the dire condition of healthcare in Keonjhar, where residents are reportedly dying of dengue due to inadequate care and treatment at the District Headquarters Hospital (DHH) and medical college.
Keonjhar is the home district of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi. The petition highlighted a news report from October 2, which detailed the death of 37-year-old Biri Biswakarma October 1 due to dengue, alongside several other affected residents. Tripathy argued that despite the presence of a medical college and a super-speciality district hospital, poor tribal patients often die without proper treatment or are referred to facilities in other regions. Keonjhar, one of India’s highest mining royalty-paying districts with substantial contributions to the District Mineral Foundation (DMF), still suffers from inadequate public healthcare funding. Tripathy contended that blood samples have to be sent to Cuttack or Bhubaneswar to confirm the presence of the dengue virus, a time-consuming process that has led to an increase in deaths.
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The complainant urged the commission to intervene and take remedial action to safeguard the health and lives of residents. The petition also referenced a Supreme Court ruling that recognises the right to health as part of the fundamental right to life under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution. The NHRC has directed the authorities to take necessary action and submit a report within four weeks. A copy of the order has been sent to the Chief Secretary for further action and information.
