Canacona Health Care (Tragedy 1): The Unchecked Killer Over the years many people in distant Canacona taluka of Goa have helplessly died like abandoned kids being victims of an endemic problem plaguing the place. The high incidence of renal disorders/diseases here has been a matter of great concern for the local people for several decades. Ironically, it is nothing to vex the politicians as well as our health administrators. The matter was raised in the discussions of Rajya Sabha. Answering to queries raised by the Member of Parliament, Mr. Shantaram Naik in the Rajya Sabha, then, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Panabaka Lakshmi (Anon, 2007) had admitted that the team from ICMR, NIOH (National Institute of Occupational Health, Meghaninagar, Ahmedabad) had visited and carried out environmental cum biological monitoring in February 2005 and had stated that clinically the disease seemed to be similar to Balkan Endemic Nephropathy (BEN), which was an environmentally acquired disease, possibly caused by mycotoxin produced by fungi in mouldy cereals and food products and aromatic compounds in drinking water (NIOH, 2005).” Further conclusions could only be drawn by correlating the clinical picture bio-technical investigation of blood and urine and other pathological investigations and their correlation with environmental factors, the Minister had said. So far no further investigations and no further conclusions. The matter ends but people continue to die by the dozen every month leaving the living victims and their kin to curse their fate and the government under their breath.
Canacona Health Care (Tragedy 2): Kankonkars & the CHC The Canacona Community Health Centre (CHC) – the most beautiful health centre built by the government during the Parrikar days -- is a shame and a sham under Digu Kamat. But it is not so much a shame that the CHC has no doctors, no medicines, no medical equipments, no ambulance, no working operation theatre and not even a functional trauma unit to answer common emergencies. What is most shameful is the fact that we the preoccupied people of Canacona have let the CHC be what it is today – at best a first aid centre. (Mind you, Kankonkars were once the lifeline of social activism in the state – remember the 50% bus concession for students) What is most shameful is not that the alarming rise in renal failure cases have never alarmed our aam admi government and the local MLAs over the years and the bureaucrats in general, what is most shameful is the alarming fact that we have never seriously responded to the needs of our own community. Like lambs to the slaughter our sick continue to go to Manipal or the Apollo for something as basic as dialysis. Promises and more promises later we are stilled holed up in stone-age when it comes to public health care. We decided that collectively we can change the CHC to answer the compelling needs of its aam aadmi and so with great expectations and fond hope we called a meeting under the banner of the almost defunct Canacona Health Welfare Committee. Thanks to the persistent efforts of Diago D’Silva the meeting was scheduled with extensive publicity through the local parishes and personally. Ironically less than 50 people including the two Canacona MLAs, Mr Pai Khot and Mr Tawadkar, responded to our call on this life and death matter. The one-point agenda was to decide the future course of action to get the ailing CHC Canacona effectively answer the needs of its people. Canacona Health Care (Tragedy 3): Local MLAs Seated on the dais, Canacona MLA Vijay Pai Khot was busy on his phone openly expressing his lack of interest in a grave matter. Then after restlessly struggling in his chair he spoke a few words and left. (Wonder if he would leave his election-campaign meeting like that.) And by his own words he painted a very bad picture of himself even while trying to colour the Congress black. He unleashed a tirade against the Chief Minister and the Health Minister intermittently reminding the people that “Ami Sotter nam – we are not in power--, yet we have done everything we can. You decide the future course of action and we will be with you.” I thought we elect leaders to lead us. Mr Khot forgot that with the support of the people he could have easily done things his way by the sheer force of compelling numbers. True, the Chief Minister and the Health Minister need to be kicked out at the earliest. But Mr. Khot has obviously missed the obvious fact that he has miserably failed to tap the power of his people to make the ruling rogues be answerable to his people. I would say it is natural to fail in the absence of due effort. But when leaders do their best and still fail it’s time we start looking for an effective leader who gets things done despite all limitations. Poinguinim MLA Mr Ramesh Tawadkar also spoke on the occasion but said nothing. The next follow-up meeting is scheduled for Saturday in the municipality hall at 4 p.m. Tony Martin Copy/Content Writing http://www.facebook.com/tonymartingoa Galgibaga, Canacona
