Patients given saline drips hanging from tree branch

MALKANGIRI: Photos of patients in Girkanpalli panchayat being ‘treated’ under a tree with saline drips hanging from the branches went viral on Monday, exposing the sorry state of healthcare services in remote pockets of the district. The incident took place at Girkanpalli’s Italguda village in Podia block on Sunday. In the photos, patients were seen lying on the ground with saline drips hanging from tree branches. They were being reportedly treated by a quack.

Sources said due to lack of access to proper healthcare, people residing in interior areas of the district are forced to approach quacks for treating their ailments. Apart from quacks, many medicine shop owners also prescribe drugs to patients without knowing the exact disease. To make matters worse, most of the medicine stores in rural areas are not managed by pharmacists.

A villager of Podia said, “In absence of proper healthcare, people, mostly tribals, often depend on quacks. Ignorance is another cause for people seeking help from the fake doctors who have literally taken over the healthcare system in rural areas. The Health department with help of police needs to shut down all the fake clinics and arrest the quacks.”

Chief district medical officer (CDMO) of Malkangiri Praful Kumar Nanda said a health team will visit Podia on Tuesday to probe the incident. The local police will be asked to initiate action against the quack. 
Nanda said the administration is taking firm steps to deal with the fake doctors operating in the tribal-dominated areas. “In May this year, a quack was arrested in Podia for treating people who fell ill after consuming lassi. Similarly, another fake doctor was arrested for practising quackery in Panasput area of Swabhiman Anchal,” the CDMO added.