Endosulfan victims to get cashless medical care

In a meeting convened by the district administration to discuss related to Endosulfan-affected families on Saturday, Deputy Commissioner A B Ibrahim said that plans were being made by the District Health and Family Welfare Department to sign an MoU with over 15 speciality hospitals and medical colleges in Dakshina Kannada including Kasturba Medical College, Fr Muller Medical College, AJ Hospital and Research Centre, K S Hegde Medical Academy and KVG Medical College to provide cashless medical care for Endosulfan victims.

In the meeting, nodal officer for Endosulfan rehabilitation Arun Kumar said that the cashless treatment process would commence once the distribution of identity cards to Endosulfan victims was completed. “As many as 2,484 victims have been identified in the district and distribution of ID cards will commence from January 25. Three different types of cards will be distributed to the victims based on the severity of their disability and those who are affected severely will be given ID cards in the first phase. Details including nature and percentage of disability, photo, address, details of Aadhaar Card and BPL card will be included in the ID cards,” he said.

He added that those who required specialised medical care could obtain the same free of cost from the listed private speciality hospitals and medical colleges.

Human rights activist Nithyananda Pai demanded that a permanent care centre be set up for those Endosulfan victims who were bed-ridden. “There are nearly 6,000 persons who are affected due to Endosulfan in the district. Nearly 10 percent of them are severely affected or bed-ridden. Hence, there is a need for setting up a permanent care centre with medical, paramedical and other facilities,” he said, citing examples of several victims, whose parents were not able to look after their bedridden kin.

DC Ibrahim directed the district officials to conduct a survey of bedridden Endosulfan victims. “Thereafter, identify a convenient place to set up a permanent care centre,” he directed.

Activists also urged the district administration to give consent for private radiology centres in Puttur and other regions to conduct free scanning for pregnant women. Pai said, “It is necessary for pregnant women in Endosulfan-affected regions to undergo ultrasound scanning to find anomalies in foetuses,” he said.

Zilla panchayat CEO Tulsi Maddineni directed officials to have a tie-up with scanning centres to provide scanning facilities free of cost to pregnant women in the region.