Bring diarrhoea patient to hospital in Orissa, get reward

BHUBANESWAR - In a bid to check further spread of diarrhoea that killed 35 people since August in 79 village in Rayagada district, Orissa Friday announced an incentive for bringing patients to government hospitals in the region for treatment.

“Those who will bring a patient to the nearby government hospital will be rewarded by the local administration with at least one hundred rupees,” a senior state health department official told IANS.

The government has also decided to provide one dhoti (traditional wear) and one piece of soap to each of the male patients and a saree and one piece of soap to each of the female patients, he said.

The official said there has been no fresh death due to diarrhoea in the district since the past two days. However panic has gripped the villages and towns after the state government Friday confirmed six cholera cases in district.

“We have adequate number of doctors, medical staffs and sufficient stocks of medicines in all the government hospitals in the region. Health officials are also camping in various affected villages,” he said.

A senior district health official said the situation is under control and the infection has not been reported from any new village during past 24 hours. The number of people undergoing treatment in the district for diarrhoea would be only about 20, he said.

Cholera and diarrhoea outbreaks are not new in Rayagada district, which has been visited by the water-borne diseases almost every monsoon as rainwater slush from hilltops contaminates water sources.

Rayagada district is among the most underdeveloped parts of the country and often in news for starvation deaths. Job opportunities in the region are limited with the major economic activity, agriculture, not generating enough income.