Wednesday, July 25, 2007

The Statesman - Foeticides, fake medics jolt govt

The Statesman
Foeticides, fake medics jolt govt

Statesman News Service
BHUBANESWAR, July 24: The twin issues of foeticides and spurious medicines continued to rock the state with the crime branch recovering human bones again today from the pit used by a private nursing home in Nayagarh. Reports of raids, sealing of unauthorised ultra sound clinics and unearthing of abandoned medicines poured in from the far-flung districts.
Police and medical officers ,who were rudely jolted by the illegality taking place right under their noses since long, claimed that they were on the alert and monitoring activities at all ultra sound clinics/private nursing homes as well as medicine shops. Raids were being carried out; some of them sealed, they said. Sample of medicines are sent for tests from medicine shops and godowns in different parts of the state.
Reports of such raids came in from Berhampur, Padmapur, Bargarh, Balasore, Rayagada and a few other districts. At Cuttack, a squad has been formed by the police to inspect and monitor such places.
Meanwhile, in the state capital, the Left parties took to the streets demanding a CBI probe into the feticide and fake medicine racket. They also demanded the resignation of the health minister. He has lost the moral right to hold the post, they charged.
Led by the All India Democratic Women Association leaders Tapasi Praharaj and Puspa Das, the Left students wings staged a dharna and later submitted a memorandum to the Governor. They urged upon the government to immediately form participatory and representative committees to ensure strict implementation of the Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Regulation and prevention of misuse) Act and institute a proper medical vigilance system.
Alleging that the Nayagarh incident was one of female feticide, they said it reflected the abysmal failure of the health and social welfare administration in the state.
The demographic profile of the state has already become a matter of concern as sex ratio per 1000 male is 938 in rural areas and 917 in urban areas, they noted. They pointed out that the PNDT Act mandated the district collectors to form committees for its implementation but nowhere in the state had this been effectively implemented.
Similarly, the fake medicine racket is thriving in the state largely due to failure of the health department to keep a tab and put in place a system of constant vigil, they alleged.

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Arise Awake Stop not till the goal is reached. - Swami Vivekananda Swami ji is my inspiration, not as a monk but as a social reformer and for his universal-ism.