Even as the World Kidney Day was observed on March 12, dreaded kidney disease has claimed over 500 human lives in Athagarh sub-division in Cuttack district during the last ten years. The cases were reported particularly in Badamba and Narasinghpur blocks of the sub-division.
According to sources, at present there are over 600 identified kidney patients in these areas. Sixteen villages of Badamba block including Aselipur, Jhajia, Sasanga, Beliapal and Icchapur record high number of kidney patients while Routabhuin, Durgaprasad, Paikabarabati, Bagadharia, Hatiapalli, Mahigarh, Ranasinghpur, Nizigarh, Kalamatia, Phulapara, Paikapara, Patana and other 38 villages of Narsinghpur block too have many kidney patients.
“Every week we find two to three chronic kidney patients die untimely. The patients in more numbers belong to the BPl families who cannot afford adequate treatment. On the contrary, the Government has been quite lax in identifying these patients,” said an NGO activist, adding that only some iron tablets are issued to the patients at irregular intervals which are of little avail.
The political representatives here do not take any special interest to combat such disease or to bring the issue before the State Government. When contacted, Badamba MlA and Mass Education Minister Debi Prasad Mishra said that he is aware of the fact and will draw the attention of the concerned authority soon. He also told this paper that the families of kidney patients and the deceased do not get any official benefit from the Government.