Mangalore: MCC Tampering with Malaria Death Statistics?

Prakash Samaga
Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore

Mangalore, Aug 22: The Mangalore City Corporation's concern for citizens' health has been questioned by various quarters. MCC meetings which are held primarily to discuss cases of malaria and filarial diseases and their prevention, have many a time been wasted on politically motivated fights, based on impractical arguments which would not yield any fruit for the tax payers.

According to statistics accessed by Social Action Group for Empowerment (SAGE), Mangalore stands first in malaria cases compared to other urban centres of the country. P V Mohan, convener of SAGE, claims that in the last month, three deaths have occurred because of malaria, and this is because relief measures were not taken by the health department of MCC.

MCC commissioner Harish Kumar brushed aside such allegations and said that anyone who speaks of discrepancy in the number of actual malaria cases by MCC can come forward with proper proof.

Suresh Shetty, former president of the Malaria (Biological) Control Committee who is active in the drive to eradicate malaria from many years said that the MCC administration has failed to understand the sensitive issues pertaining to malaria cases. “The MCC, with its escapist attitude, does not report all the death that occur due to malaria, rather it hides them,” he alleged. He questioned as to how the Rs 20 lac fund granted for the project was utilized and demanded a white paper on this regard. "Eighty percent of malarial mosquitoes are borne in buildings where water is stored," he pointed out.

Dr Shreenivas Kakkilaya, a physician, said that earlier it was mandatory for every private hospital to report every malaria case to the MCC health standing committee. "There was a separate cell in the MCC to receive phones calls from private hospitals and public regarding any malaria or filarial cases in the city, but it is defunct now. Only 10 percent of the cases are recorded in books by the MCC administration and the rest are deliberately hidden to ‘reduce’ the malaria cases reported," he said.

When Daijiworld contacted Mangalore City Corporation mayor Gulzar Banu, she said that the malaria eradication drive has been outsourced to a private company named Premier and she said that it was the failure of the health officer. She also said that many college students have been engaged in the drive but they are not able to deliver their best at all times as they have classes to attend.

All said and done, health should be the chief civic issue that MCC administration has to work on warfooting.