Health minister Dr C. Laxma Reddy on Sunday said Adivasis still believe in superstitions which indirectly affects their health and even causes death. He appealed to the Adivasis to give up their belief in superstitions and take medical treatment for good health and protect themselves from diseases.
The minister asked the members of youth associations, community elders to educate the community people against superstitions. He said a special ward in RIMS will be reserved for tribal patients coming to the district for treatment.
Along with ministers Jogu Ramanna and Allola Indrakaran Reddy, health minister Laxma Reddy visited the Adivasi gudems where incidents of viral fevers, malaria positive cases and deaths were reported in Sirpur (U) and Jainoor mandals.
“Some of the Adivasis are not even going to hospital for treatment and instead take traditional medicines made of herbs, he observed and said it was high time they change themselves and use modern medical treatment offered by the state government. The minister said efforts would be made to give nutritious food to Adivasis suffering from anemia to improve their immunity.
During his visit, Mr Laxma Reddy admitted that there were cases of fevers but not in large numbers and directed the officials concerned to shift all the Adivasis including children suffering from malaria and viral fevers to Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), Adilabad.
Some of the Adivasis of Pullara village in Sirpur (U) complained to the ministers that the doctors and staff of the PHCs are not giving them treatment citing that they do not come under their jurisdiction and advising them to go to other PHCs which were far away from their native villages.
The health minister expressed displeasure over not shifting the villagers suffering from fevers to Adilabad for better treatment and attending to the patients seriously while stressing upon sanitation, and drinking potable water.
Mr Laxma Reddy was surprised when Asifabad MLA Kova Laxmi explained some of the traditions practised with regard to lactating women and newborns by the Adivasis.
Health minister also inspected government hospitals at Jainoor and Utnoor and promised to upgrade the hospitals as a community health centre and 100 bedded hospital respectively.
Source: Deccan Chronicle