Grim Tragedy of Children’s Deaths in UP When Adults Play Politics
Prof N.K. Singh
Former Chairman International Airports Authority of India
What is happening in Uttar Pradesh is astounding lack of humanity and sensitivity on the part of commentators and politicians. I was greatly pained to read a Tweet on the twitter by a senior well known journalist putting a question ‘how many children corpses sent to graves and how many cremated’. We stated converting the tragedy to a show of pulling down one and other. Similarly Health Minister Sidharth Nath Singh saying that deaths do take place in these month of July and August in the state, also does not show sense of care and responsible conduct by a minister. No doubt his statement was correct but this was not the time to go on a statistical contest of “others did much worse than us’’ or we did better than you. At the time of holocaust, one has o take all measures to salvage the situation, to stop further loss and take care of the sick. Instead of these, politicians started visits like Congress and others who joined just to condemn the government in power. Worst was role of the media that gave all false news and spread rumours concerning the tragedy. Media called the Head of Pediatric Department Dr Kateel Khan as the hero and saviour whereas he turned out to be a villain and is under suspension.
* Shockingly, the government was procuring oxygen in so-called outsourcing system by entrusting it to a private party which did not deliver as it was not paid. Corrupt practice of having a middle man type arrangement was made when it could be directly procured from the manufacturer. Yogi cannot absolve himself from such maladministration under his rule and it would need strong steps.
More than 60 children have died in the local hospital and further danger is also expected. It is true that historically this issue of encephalitis disease has plagued the medical administration of the state for a long time. For more than last two decades, the government has been grappling with the issue of fatal disease and how to prevent or cure it. In 1978, 1344 children died out of 5,737 sick children who were admitted. It can be said that almost 20% of children who fall sick and brought to hospital for treatment do not survive. Obviously, it is a serious matter and deserves national effort to develop strategies for prevention and management of the disease. Gorakhpur and surrounding rural area are poorly managed areas with no civic facilities and cleanliness. In fact, it deserves highest priority and implementation of the Swacch Bharat campaign. This has to be not only one time campaign but regular drill to clean the dirt- filth in rainy season. Such filth-filled wet areas are the breeding ground of mosquitoes which spread the disease. Horribly the administration in UP is hardly painstaking in ensuring high standards of cleanliness. It is the task of the government and Chief Minister to see that accountability is fixed and applied in maintenance of cities and towns. In our report on Varanasi, I have strongly suggested to the Prime Minister that city management of the country is in dismal state which needs a new organisational design to develop responsible civic leadership. Apart from civic cleanliness, governance of hospital was atrocious when the oxygen was not available. Shockingly, the government was procuring oxygen in so-called outsourcing system by entrusting it to a private party which did not deliver as it was not paid. Corrupt practice of having a middle man type arrangement was made when it could be directly procured from the manufacturer. Yogi cannot absolve himself from such maladministration under his rule and it would need strong steps.
5Yogi when he was in parliament agitated for tackling this problem and vaccination orders were expected to be followed. As per government, 100% have been vaccinated but some private agencies put it at 20% only. Had it been done the situation must not have been so bad but let us analyse it after the season is over.
It is a matter of surprise for me to know that for around 300 square kilometers area, Gorakhpur Hospital is the only one multi specialty and AIIMs type institution in the state. Children are brought from the border area of Nepal also. By the time they reach, situation becomes serious and not easy to manage. I feel guilty of national shame that a country which is going to reach moon and has plans to bring bullet trains does not have even hospitals in hundreds of kilometers.
Bus Stand
First Passenger: “Why the Congress deputed Shinde ji in Himachal to make contradictory statements in Shimla and Dharamshala?
Second Passenger: It is the effect of earth under his feet; you don’t know what he will say in Delhi.
विवाह प्रस्ताव की तलाश कर रहे हैं ? भारत मैट्रीमोनी में निःशुल्क रजिस्टर करें !
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