The state government has begun the process of envisaging suitable compensation and ensuring a dignified life for victims of Endosulfan poisoning in the district, Health and Family Welfare Minister Aravind Limbavali said recently.
After witnessing first-hand, the trauma faced by parents of victims of the poisoning, the minister told reporters that a high-level meeting held in Bangalore had approved rehabilitation in three phases.
A detailed survey of differently-abled people in the district will be launched from October 10, said Deputy Commissioner N S Channappa Gowda. Interacting with reporters at the day-care centre for the victims in Kokkada, Chanappa said he hoped to complete the survey in October.
The survey findings will be discussed at a meeting planned towards the end of October in Bangalore. Based on the findings, the government will take the next step, he said, without elaborating on the package to be offered to the victims.
According to a survey conducted by students of the Canara College in Mangalore last year, as many as 6,000 people were found to be suffering from various degrees of disability due to Endosulfan poisoning in the 92 villages exposed to it in the State.
From PHC to CHC
The government is also considering a permanent rehabilitation centre which will be self-sustaining by generating self-employment jobs. The primary health centre (PHC) will be strengthened and upgraded into a community health centre (CHC). A proposal to upgrade Kokkada PHC, spread across 3.5 acres, into a CHC with two additional special posts, including an orthopaedic and psychiatrist will be submitted for approval.
Taking note of the sizeable number of patients with poor mental health, he promised to stock the centre with psychiatric drugs and sanction a 108 ambulance. All victims, including those like Santosh Menezes who received blank health cards will get smart cards, he informed and added that if the situation warranted, a similar survey would be carried in the northern parts of the coastal districts.
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