With the procession of deaths and inmates being taken ill plaguing State-run shelter home for the distressed women, Nari Niketan, the administration is now taking extra care of the wellbeing of the inmates is concerned.
The medical check-up of five inmates was held in Doon Hospital on Saturday. They were released for the shelter home after their thorough medical check-ups in the hospital, said acting chief medical superintendent (CMS), Dehradun K C Pant.
In all, 138 inmates are presently staying in the shelter home based in Dehradun and all of them would go through regular medical checkups in the hospital. “This is a must, as in case they develop ailments, they can be diagnosed in time and treated to be cured while being admitted in the hospital,” Dr Pant said.
The medical checkups of 10 inmates have been held in the hospital so far. These revealed that they were facing problems like anemia, stomach pain, skin disease and others, all due to malnutrition. As many as 26 inmates have been admitted to Doon Hospital. All of them are now well but they are being kept under the doctors’ observation, Uttarakhand additional secretary (social welfare) Manoj Chandran said. “We cannot afford to take chances, given the grim state of things,” he added.
Moreover, in an interesting development, Nainital High Court admitted a PIl regarding the condition of the inmates in the State- run shelter homes across the State, regarding their exploitation and other ills.
The Court sought reply from the State Government by the first week of March regarding the same. A PIl was filed by Shiwangi Gangwar, resident of Udham Singh Nagar, requesting the High Court for a court- monitored investigation of the infamous Nari Niketan case of Dehradun and steps taken for improving the living conditions in such homes.
Minister Surnedra Singh Negi had admitted recently that as many as 19 inmates had died since 2007 in Nari Niketan and most of them had died during the winter months. Critics opine that the State Government caring a damn for providing the shelter home and its inmates with basic amenities like heater, geyser and woolens and blankets, meant to beat the cold, had landed the inmates in suffering leading to their deaths in many cases. “However, it is good that finally they have sat up in alarm and are now going for the corrective steps to stem the rot,” an observer says.