On September 12, the writer was the guest of honour in a function held at the Soochana Bhawan, Bhubaneswar, where Rajya Sabha MP Soumya Ranjan Pattnaik, Padmashree Debi Prasanna Pattnaik and Dr AK Mohapatra, renowned physician, who operated on conjoined babies, Jaga-Kalia, joined as other guests. The function was arranged to honour two young doctors namely Omkar Hota, a native of Balangir and Yagnadatta Ratha, a native Jagatsinghpur.

The young doctors have immense contribution in the field of healthcare and service to mankind in the remote parts of Malkangiri and Kandhamal.

Dr Hota dedicated himself for the services of forest dwellers of Malkangiri areas and become an institution of healthcare services in remote corner of the State.

His dedication, devotion and passion to serve the poorest of poor of the region have no parallel. In the Maoists-hit Malkangiri and Chitrakunda, where the Government servants generally are afraid to be posted in different assignments, Hota was a nurse, a medical assistant, a sweeper and a doctor— all rolled into one.

Dr Hota is very much known as a “pedestrian doctor” of the remote land, who walks over 10-15 km per day when required to go to the houses of the patients and treat them. When necessary, he carries patients to the health centre on his shoulder and treats.

Malkangiri is such an area, where basic amenities like electricity, internet, road, education and awareness of people about Government schemes are very poor.

Dr Hota does not discriminate who is a Maoist and who is not; he treats everyone as a doctor.

For his devoted services to most neglected masses, he was felicitated by the Unicef  and the Governments of India and Odisha.

Another young doctor is Yagnaadtta Rath. After completion of his MBBS, he first got appointment in a corporate hospital in Bhubaneswar, but his urge to serve the poor made hism leave the job and join a remote Government hospital in Tumundibandha in Kandhamal. 

On his day of joining on March 24 at 3 pm, he was  informed by the local BDO that one poor lady of Pallam village was getting severe labour pain on the way to the hospital.

The distance between the hospital and the village is 13 km. On receiving the information, Dr Rath proceeded to the village to treat the woman. The whole distance from Tumudibandha to the hamlet could not be approached by ambulance due to very bad road.

The doctor with his persons walked over the distance on foot and met the patient. On the way, the lady delivered a baby. After applying preliminary treatment, Dr Rath with his fellow men brought the lady and her baby to the healthcare centre.

Many hospitals and dispensaries in remote parts of the tribal districts and forest lands are vacant without doctors. The poor and destitute are not getting proper medical treatment for want of money.

This is the unfortunate state of affairs of our State. When many children die of anaemia and pneumonia in these backward districts, our well-paid doctors avoid their postings to such districts.

The writer remembers a few years ago, some Professors of SCB Medical College Hospital, Cuttack were transferred to VIMSAR, Burla and MKCG, Brahmapur. Some of the Professors remained in long leave and continued their practices at Cuttack. No disciplinary actions were taken against them.

If the senior doctors of medical colleges behave like this, what their students can learn from them that has to be judged.

The private hospitals are not releasing the bodies, where the full financial claims of the hospital are not realized. Presently, the Supreme Court of India has issued a circular that no medical of the country can detain bodies, whatever may be the reasons.

(The writer is a columnist and a former forest officer, lives in Bhubaneswar, Mob- 9937460649, nadiya.kanungo@gmail.com)