Daijiworld Media Network - Karkala (SP)

Karkala, Jul 17: After a rabid dog attacked a boy from Chara village near Hebri on July 14, the parents had to run from pillar to post after finding to their horror that no government hospital including district government hospital had stock of anti-rabies medicine.

Addressing a press conference here on Thursday July 16 at Hebri, former vice president of Hebri gram panchayat, D G Raghavendra, explained that a 30-month-old male child of Savita and Dinesh couple from Devasabettu in Chara village had been attacked and bitten by a rabid dog. 'The parents took the child to Hebri government hospital, but the doctors said they do not have stock of the vaccine. The parents contacted the taluk hospital here, but there too disappointment was in store for them. Even the Udupi district hospital authorities expressed helplessness as they did not have the medicine. As the child's life was in danger, poor parents of the boy were compelled to take it to KMC Hospital Manipal where the child was treated, and cost of Rs 7,000 was met by the parents by raising money from locals,' he explained.

The treatment was made possible with the help of former president of Shivapura panchayat, Suresh Shetty, and local leaders. The child is out of danger now, he said.

He expressed anger at the fact that this medicine, which is one of the most important one as stray dogs keep biting the pedestrians in villages, is not available in government hospitals. Hebri gram panchayat president, Sudhakar Hegde, speaking on the occasion, wondered whether the state health minister, who hails from the coastal districts, is aware of this situation in government hospitals. He urged the government to ensure that this medicine is made available in small village hospitals too.

Gram panchayat members, Ashok Prabhu and Divya, taluk BJP vice president, H Mohandas Nayak, and others were present at the press conference.