Dear friends,
The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from Manoj Singh, a local journalist working with Gorakhpur News Line, regarding the deadly disease Encephalitis, which has struck again in eastern Uttar Pradesh. The toll has already climbed to 60, with monsoons – during which the disease spreads quickly – still distant. Despite the disease being easily preventable and spreading during the monsoon every year, more than 50,000 children have been killed as a result in the last three decades. Governments have shown little will to stop the annual dance of death, perhaps because the victims are voiceless children from the poorest sections of society. The AHRC urges the authorities to break out of their slumber this year.
CASE NARRATIVE:
The AHRC has learnt that encephalitis, a killer disease endemic to eastern Uttar Pradesh, has struck again, killing 60 children admitted in the special encephalitis Wards of the Nehru Hospital. However, the fault does not lie with the hospital, which is affiliated with Baba Raghav Das Medical College of Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh; it is, in fact, the only hospital equipped with facilities to treat Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) and Japanese Encephalitis, commonly known as ‘brain fever’that has, since 1978, been endemic to the region. This is the only resort for most of the victims afflicted by the disease.
The actual death toll this year is possibly far higher as the hospital is the only one where death toll related to this disease gets monitored. That Nehru Hospital is the only hospital equipped with the capacity to deal with the encephalitis diseases that affect the 18 crore people of the region speaks volumes about the government’s sense of responsibility. There is not one hospital capable of dealing with the disease in the neighbouring districts of Basti, Kushinagar, Sant Kabir Nagar, and Maharajganj, all of which have afflicted populations. This scarcity of medical facility forces the parents to rush their children to Gorakhpur, delaying treatment, and decreasing chances of survival.
Encephalitis has killed more than 650 children in the region last year, 609 of them in the Baba Raghav Das Medical College alone, despite assurances given by the state government to the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR). The NCPCR, incidentally, has rejected the steps taken by the state government as ‘nothing more than claims’and blamed the ‘casual approach’of the government solely responsible for the deaths of the children. The NCPCR’s anger is not unjustified; the India-wide death toll by encephalitis was 1,256 in 2012; 557 of these deaths occurred in Uttar Pradesh and more than 500 of these deaths took place in Nehru Hospital.
The criminal culpability of the authorities in these deaths is evidenced by their apathy and inaction. Take the example of the 100 bed specialty encephalitis ward that should have been operational from last year; it is yet to start functioning, as the union and state government are fighting over costs. As a result, the ward is complete but without any doctors, paramedics, and other support staff. This same criminal laxity is shown by the authorities in deploying its resources to fight the disease. With 54 sentinel and 12 apex laboratories, dedicated for the disease, the authorities are fully equipped to monitor and contain the disease and minimize fatalities; something they have never done. Forget making a coordinated and consolidated attempt, different bodies involved in the process hardly communicate with one another.
The responses to various Right to Information applications filed by local journalists and activists paint a gloomy picture this year as well. The authorities seems to have no idea about the status of sanitation, ensuring clean, potable, drinking water, and ensuring drainage does not turn into breeding grounds for mosquitoes, the vector for Japanese Encephalitis. All 60 deaths this year have been caused by Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES), but Japanese Encephalitis promises to be as, if not more, fatal with the onset of monsoon. It is time for the authorities to contain the disease before it goes out of the hand again.
SUGGESTED ACTION:
Please write to the authorities mentioned below demanding immediate intervention into the case and ensure that the deaths are immediately stopped.
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SAMPLE LETTER
Dear ..........,
INDIA: Annual killer Encephalitis strikes again: 60 children killed in Gorakhpur alone.
Names of the victims: 60 children
Alleged perpetrators: Government authorities
Time and Place of incident: ongoing, eastern Uttar Pradesh
I am writing to you with grave concern over the death of children in eastern Utter Pradesh. I have learnt that encephalitis, an annual killer disease, has struck again, killing 60 children admitted in the special encephalitis Wards of the Nehru Hospital. However, the fault does not lie with the hospital, which is affiliated with Baba Raghav Das Medical College of Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh; it is, in fact, the only hospital equipped with facilities to treat Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) and Japanese Encephalitis, commonly known as 'brain fever'that has, since 1978, been endemic to the region. This is the only resort for most of the victims afflicted by the disease.
The actual death toll this year is possibly far higher as the hospital is the only one where death toll related to this disease gets monitored. That Nehru Hospital is the only hospital equipped with the capacity to deal with the encephalitis diseases that affect the 18 crore people of the region speaks volumes about the government’s sense of responsibility. There is not one hospital capable of dealing with the disease in the neighbouring districts of Basti, Kushinagar, Sant Kabir Nagar, and Maharajganj, all of which have afflicted populations. This scarcity of medical facility forces the parents to rush their children to Gorakhpur, delaying treatment, and decreasing chances of survival.
Encephalitis has killed more than 650 children in the region last year, 609 of them in the Baba Raghav Das Medical College alone, despite assurances given by the state government to the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) last year. The NCPCR, incidentally, has rejected the steps taken by the state government as 'nothing more than claims'and blamed the 'casual approach'of the government solely responsible for the deaths of the children. The NCPCR’s anger is not unjustified; the India-wide death toll by Encephalitis was 1,256 in 2012; 557 of these deaths occurred in Uttar Pradesh and more than 500 of these deaths took place in Nehru Hospital.
The criminal culpability of the authorities in these deaths is evidenced by their apathy and inaction. Take the example of the 100 bed specialty encephalitis ward that should have been operational from last year; it is yet to start functioning, as the union and state government are fighting over costs. As a result, the ward is complete but without any doctors, paramedics, and other support staff. This same criminal laxity is shown by the authorities in deploying its resources to fight the disease. With 54 sentinel and 12 apex laboratories, dedicated for the disease, the authorities are fully equipped to monitor and contain the disease and minimize fatalities; something they have never done. Forget making a coordinated and consolidated attempt, different bodies involved in the process hardly communicate with one another.
The responses to various Right to Information applications filed by local journalists and activists paint a gloomy picture this year as well. The authorities seems to have no idea about the status of sanitation, ensuring clean, potable, drinking water, and ensuring drainage does not turn into breeding grounds for mosquitoes, the vector for Japanese Encephalitis. All 60 deaths this year have been caused by Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES), but Japanese Encephalitis promises to be as, if not more, fatal with the onset of monsoon. It is time for the authorities to contain the disease before it goes out of the hand again.
I, therefore, urge you to ensure that,
1. All measures, including, but not limited to, ensuring sanitation and access to clean, potable water, to tackle the deadly disease are taken with immediate effect;
2. The state and union governments resolve their differences over bearing the costs of the new specialized ward for encephalitis and that all staff necessary for the ward is recruited immediately;
3. Remaining two wards are also fully staffed and functional;
4. All other district hospitals in the region are equipped to deal with Encephalitis;
5. Criminal culpability is fixed and the authorities, whose dereliction of duty causes deaths in such huge numbers, are prosecuted;
6. Due compensation is provided to the families that have lost their children due to such state negligence.
Sincerely,
.......
PLEASE SEND YOUR LETTERS TO:
1. Shri Narendra Modi
Prime Minster
Government of India
Room No. 148 B, South block, New Delhi
INDIA
Fax: + 91 11 230116857; 23015603
2. Chairperson
National Human Rights Commission
Faridkot House, Copernicus Marg
New Delhi 110001
INDIA
Fax: +91 11 2338 4863
E-mail: chairnhrc@nic.in
3. Shri Akhilesh Yadav
Chief Minister
Mukhyamantri Niwas
Lucknow
Uttar Pradesh
INDIA
FAX: +91 522 2239234
Email: cmup@up.nic.in
4. Shri Alok Ranjan,
Chief Secretary,
Government of Uttar Pradesh
Lucknow
INDIA.
Fax: +91 +91 522 2239283
Email: cs-uttarpradesh@nic.in
5. Shri Ahmad Hasan
Minister for Health and Family Welfare,
Government of Uttar Pradesh.
Lucknow,
Uttar Pradesh
INDIA
Fax: +91 522 2238124
6. Shri Arvind Kumar
Principal Secretary (Health & FW),
Department of Health & Family Welfare,
Government of Uttar Pradesh,
5th floor, Room No. 516, Vikas Bhawan,
Janpath Market, Vidhan Sabha Road,
Hazrat Ganj, Lucknow
INDIA
FAX: +91 522 2625449
Email: psecup.health@gmail.com
7. Mrs. Shantha Sinha
Chairperson
National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR)
5th Floor, Chnadralok Building, Janpath,
New Delhi
INDIA
Fax: +91 11 23731584
E-mail: ncpcr.india@gmail.com
8. Dr Harshvardhan
Union Minister,
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare,
Nirman Bhawan, C-Wing
New Delhi,110001
INDIA
Fax: +91 23062358
Email: hfm@alpha.nic.in
Thank you
Hunger Alerts Programme
Right to Food Programme (foodjustice@ahrc.asia)
Asian Human Rights Commission (ua@ahrc.asia)
