Are we progressing or are we regressing, I sometimes wonder? How is that with all the awareness campaigns and hospitals available, people still hold on to the inhuman & archaic ‘medicinal’ practices?
In yet another case of inhuman practice, a six-month-old baby was branded with hot iron bangles to treat his respiratory problem in Nabarangpur district, Odisha. The baby was admitted to the district headquarters hospital on Sunday as his condition deteriorated.
The child, born to Nakul Bhatra and his wife Janaki of Khutiguda village in Papadahandi block, had been suffering from breathing problem for a week and had stopped drinking milk. Instead of taking him to the hospital, the parents opted for traditional treatment which involved branding the baby with hot iron bangles on his stomach. But, when there was no improvement in his condition, the parents took the child to Community Health Centre (CHC) at Dabugam from where he was referred to district headquarters hospital.
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The child is suffering from pneumonia and his condition is stated to be serious, said a doctor of the hospital.
This is not the first such case reported from Nabarangpur district. As many as 30 cases of branding, a superstitious practice, were reported from across the district in 2016. The practice has already claimed the lives of three infants.
Former district collector Rashmita Panda had launched a programme – ‘Jyoti’ in 2016 – to generate awareness among tribals on the practice. As many as 4,000 traditional healers were identified in the district and they were made aware of the legal consequences of the inhuman practice. Meanwhile, an anganwadi worker of Khutiguda Suneeta Patnaik lodged a complaint at Kodinga police station on the matter.
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