Despite significant advancement in medical science, people still believe in superstition to get rid of health complications and diseases.
This practice of traditional branding or inflicting burns over the body as a remedy for illnesses is a harmful practice prevalent in Nabarangpur district. Children and young babies are worst-affected by this practice, which causes serious ill health and delays in seeking proper medical care.
In order to prevent branding, the district administration would launch a Jyoti Campaign from Sunday at the block and village levels, said Collector Rashmita Panda on Saturday.
“We have selected some of master trainers who will educate at the block levels and village levels on the evils of branding and how to benefit from health services. Three A’s have the key role in the villages, Anganwadi, Asha and ANM. They are the most powerful women’s bodies at the villages who will tell the evils of branding which people can be easily understand,” the Collector said.
“Correspondingly, we identified 4,033 Disaris (traditional healers) and they are also trained not to do the traditional practice of branding which is a type of child abuse and should be condemned by the society. Every
measure should be taken to educate the rural families against this inhuman medieval custom,” Panda added.
Though people go for branding, there is no scientific basis for getting cured by it. “It is a blind belief. Branding a human being with hot iron rod may lead to serious health complications and one may develop
septicaemia. People should desist from such practice for cure of diseases,” said master trainer of the campaign Manorama Majhi.