The State Government’s Bhima Bhoi Bhinnakshyama Samarthya Abhiyan (BBSA) camps provide certificates, assistive devices, financial assistance and scholarship for persons with disabilities (PwDs). One such camp, which was held in the SK Academy premises here on Wednesday witnessed a chaotic scene.
The camp was marked by mismanagement and lack of doctors, as a result of which hundreds of PwDs returned without medical checkup and the camp had to be closed abruptly.The camp was organised by the Jagatsinghpur Panchayat Samiti in collaboration with the Social Security and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (SSEPD) Department for PwDs from 29 panchayats under Jagatsinghpur block and municipality.
The PwDs suffered due to inadequate registration counters and shortage of application forms. The problems were sorted out, but it was too late for registration of the PwDs.
Registration of the candidates had to be done as per the categories of the disabilities such as visually-impaired, speech/hearing-impaired, orthopedically-handicapped, leprosy-cured persons, mentally-retarded, CP, autism and multiple disabilities, but such counters were not opened, resulting in confusion among the PwDs.
There were no adequate arrangements of shelter, drinking water, sitting and waiting and toilets, etc., for the PwDs and their attendants. Nor was there bold and legible signage from the entrance point onwards for the intended beneficiaries to move from one counter to the next.No arrangements for preliminary screening of reporting persons were made; so, it resulted in unnecessary crowding at the camp site.
According to organisers, there were 493 cases registered at the camp specified as 244 orthopaedically-disabled, 73 deaf and dumb, 80 eye and blind, 96 mentally ill, CP and autism. Ironically, only four doctors were engaged to examine the PwDs. The one doctor assigned for the burgeoning orthopedic cases was unable to attend to all cases.
A 88-year-old orthopaedically-disabled woman, Kamala Nanda, from Rambhadeipur village, who returned home without checkup, said she had been accompanied by her daughter Nayana and reached the camp at 11 am. About three hours was spent for her registration and her case forwarded to a doctor for examination, but her checkup could not be done due to the mismanagement. She had to return home after spending Rs 350 of auto fare. According to formalities, the Chief District Medical Officer (CDMO) should have ensured presence of specialist doctors and other competent medical personnel at the camp, but it was not done.
The organisers admitted shortage of doctors at the camp but refuted the allegation that the camp was closed abruptly. Due to a doctors’ agitation at the SCB Medical College Hospital in Cuttack, only three doctors joined the camp and one from the District Headquarters Hospital assisted them, informed Jagatsinghpur block SSEPD officer Pabitra Dash.