Mangalore: MCC Tampering with Malaria Death Statistics?


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.

  

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Comment on this article

  • Dr Kiran VSA, Udupi

    Thu, Aug 23 2012

    MCC never tackled Malaria. In the early 1990s Dr Kaskkillaya team led the drive. Now Health Officers must be busy raiding the hotels n pubs for hafta. Public and Hospitals are trying their best but MCC has a big role. Thanks Daiji for reporting this.

    DisAgree Agree [1] Reply Report Abuse

  • Abdulla, Kasaragod

    Wed, Aug 22 2012

    What a chauvinist is Mr Dinesh Poojary, buddy get real and get over the fact women cant rule.

    DisAgree [2] Agree [1] Reply Report Abuse

  • Lesley, Kemmannu / U.A.E

    Wed, Aug 22 2012

    Now one question, who is responsible for malaria in Kudla congress, B.J.P or the Mosquito?...Very difficult to answer…

    DisAgree [1] Agree [5] Reply Report Abuse

  • R.Bhandarkar., M

    Wed, Aug 22 2012

    Dear Madikeri
    This is one of the most 'spot on' comment throwing light on the foreign 'Pharma- Mafia'.The permutations and combinations and the roots of these operations are so smoothly nurtured that nothing or nobody is caught 'prima-facie'. Just with enough finesse to escape the clutches of the law here, which isn't asking for much.Chalo let's chant one more time...
    Mera Bharat Mahaan...
    Satyameva Jayate....

    DisAgree Agree [5] Reply Report Abuse

  • Dinesh Poojary, Kundapura/Bengaluru

    Wed, Aug 22 2012

    I do not understand what is our so called MAYOR madam doing in her office. Let her vacate if she can't handle the situation. Malaria is caused by female anopheles mosquito.

    DisAgree [22] Agree [13] Reply Report Abuse

  • VEERAPPA. D.N., MADIKERI

    Wed, Aug 22 2012

    Indians are obsessed with foreign diseases just like they are obsessed with foreign made goods. Death due to foreign diseases like Swine-flu and Dengue in any remote corner of India, is given wide publicity in the mainline media all over the country because the medicines for these diseases is the monopoly of American Pharma companies, which is sold in Indian at 500% profit !. Just because the wide publicity about death due to these foreign diseases will generate large scale demand for the medicines of the American companies, by using the publicity agents in the media these AMEMERICAN PHARMA COMPANIES ENSURE THAT WIDE PUBLICITY IS GIVEN IN THE MEDIA ABOUT THE DEATH DUE TO SWINE FLU & DENGUE. The medicine for Malaria is made by small Indian pharma companies. Hence even though death due to malaria is twenty times more than those foreign diseases, no publicity is given for such Malaria-deaths. Some Indians calculate their profits even in the death of fellow Indian.
    "Death means Profit" for some!

    DisAgree Agree [29] Reply Report Abuse


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