(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) NATIONAL HUMAN Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken serious note of the alleged inaction on the part of the government of Kerala and its failure to provide medical facilities and welfare programmes in the Attappady area of Palakkad district where 38 tribal children reportedly died due to malnourishment.
The commission has issued a notice to the state government through its chief secretary to show cause why Rs100000 each as interim relief should not be granted to the families of the 38 tribal children who died due to malnutrition and inaction on part of the state government in administering the welfare schemes in time.
NHRC Member Justice D. Murugesan through the show cause notice also asked the chief secretary of the state government to submit a report indicating the action taken by it to prevent the recurrence of such deaths due to malnutrition in the future and the medical facilities provided to pregnant women in Attappady and other affected areas of Palakkad district within four weeks.
The commission took the cognizance of the matter on the basis of complaints about malnourishment and that tribal children had died due to malnutrition in Attappady area. The complaints also alleged that 500 cases of malnutrition and 412 cases of anaemia were detected between January 2012 and April 2013.
Pursuant to the directions of the commission the government of Kerala submitted a report indicating that 38 children had died and majority of them were infants who died due to either premature birth or low birth weight and they did not need any nutrition intervention on part of the government.
As regards poor maternal health and malnutrition in expectant mothers the state government said that it had taken steps to improve the situation by distribution of vitamin A and administering iron/folic acid injections blood transfusion and so on to malnourished women. Further improvements had been made in the Government Tribal Specialty Hospital Kottathara by creating 75 additional posts of workers for treatment to the patients it said.
In response to notices in connection with another complaint on the same issue the state government admitted that during the inquiry 849 patients were identified for regular treatment in the Attappady area and they were being treated by mobile medical units.
Apart from distribution of medical kits in the area under National Rural Health Mission distribution of milk eggs fruits and food grains to the patients had also been started. The wage arrears to the tune of Rs2.5 million under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (Mgnrega) had also been cleared it said.
Though the commission did not receive the comments of the complainants on the reports of the state government it observed that the state government woke up only after it had taken cognizance of the malnourishment among children and women in Attappady area.
The commission observed that had the state administration been functional earlier the deaths of the 38 tribal children could be avoided. The mapping of 849 patients for regular medical treatment clearly showed that there was lack of medical facilities in the area it said.
The statement said the payment of outstanding wages under Mnrega after the deaths of children and malnutrition in women indicated the “callous attitude” of the state government towards the fundamental rights of the citizens for food and livelihood. The NHRC observed that the state administration had miserably failed to discharge its functions to protect the human rights of citizens and that it had taken a serious note of such inaction on the part of the state government.
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