After an alleged death of a two- and-a-half year-old due to malnutrition, the BDO, the District Child Protection Officer, the member of District Child Welfare Committee, and the CDPO of Mahakalpada on Wednesday rushed to the spot to take stock of the situation.
About 150 tribal families are residing in the Sabarapada, lunimathia and Jangaligheri hamlets of lunimathia under Barakandha gram panchayat of Mahakalpada block, the home turf of Health Minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak. But, the village does not have communication facilities, electricity, school and other amenities. Only, some people have obtained IAY whereas several BPl families are yet to get the Government sponsored ration card under NFSA.
Though an Anganwadi center has been functioning in Sabarapada, but most of the time, the Anganwadi worker remains absent due to lack of road communication. Most of the children here fail to go to school. And in rainy season, it has been a daunting task.
Though several nutritious foods meant for pregnant women and small children are coming to the Anganwadi center under the ICDS programme, but hardly are they distributed among the beneficiaries. Here, the patients are taken to nearby hospital in basket.
Earlier, as many as four children had died due to malnutrition in the area. Though the matter had been brought to the notice of local CDPO, but nobody has ever taken the matter seriously, alleged Ramesh Chandra Bhakta, the only person who has studied matriculation in the village.
Not only the child of Babuli Bhakta and Kuni Bhakta died allegedly due to malnutrition , mouth ulcer and diarrohea but also some months back another child of the couple too died due to such symptoms. Due to lack of awareness on health schemes, such a situation prevails in the village. It is feared that the situation may aggravate in the coming days if the district administration does not take proper steps to create awareness on health.
District Child Protection Officer Bijay Kumar Sahu said several basic amenities and food supplements are yet to be provided to the children in the village.
According to CDPO Manorama Swain, as per the inquiry it has been found that the child has not die due to malnutrition. Rather, the child was suffering from mouth ulcer. He failed to take foods and saliva was coming out of his mouth. He was taking liquid food. Even, he was admitted a couple of times at the District Headquarters Hospital (DHH). So, the allegation is not true, she said.
CDMO Niranjan Swain stated the child said the child was mentally ill as he had undergone treatment for 15 days at the nutrition rehabilitation centre at the DHH. And later, he suffered from multiple diseases and failed to take solid food and succumbed to death.
“We are monitoring the situation. Nutritional status of the children is going to be examined very shortly,” informed District Child Welfare Officer Puspanjali Mohapatra.
When contacted, district Collector Debaraj Senapati stated that he has directed the CDPO and the BDO of Mahakalapada to submit a detailed inquiry report on the alleged matter.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, a Congress team led by Umakant Nayak and also a BJP team led by Bishnu Das rushed to the spot to take stock of the situation. The Opposition leaders blamed the State Government and Minister Nayak for the situation.