The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken suo motu cognisance of a media report that a day after the death of his ailing wife, a man also lost his 24-year-old son due to the lack of treatment facilities at a Health Centre, Athagarh in Cuttack in Cuttack district on May 11.
The commission issued a notice to the Health and Family Welfare Secretary calling for a report on the condition of the health services in the State and about the non-availability of the ambulance services at Athagarh Health Centre.
The man, Bharat Nayak of village Paikarapur in Joranda GP of Athagarh, is a Home Guard. The news report has been brought to the notice of the commission by its Special Rapporteur Damodar Sarangi, who termed the incident as a gross violation of the Right to life by the authorities, who possibly knew the state of the health of the young man.
The Commission has observed that the incident raises serious concerns about the prevailing health care facilities in Odisha. According to the media report and related issues brought by Sarangi to the notice of the commission, Bapi, the son of Bharat Nayak, was suffering from spinal disorder.
His condition continued to deteriorate as the Health Centre was not equipped to treat him. His father took him to Cuttack but returned as he could not arrange more than one lakh required for the treatment. Even as the body of his wife, who died due to heart attack, was lying at his home, Bharat was looking for divine intervention to save his son.
He took him to a nearby temple, even as his wife's body was on a funeral pyre with the assistance of Rs 2,000 from the State Government. Though, some local people persuaded Bharat to take his son back to the Health Centre where he eventually died, even as Rs 3000 was arranged through Red Cross to shift him to Cuttack for treatment.