Thanks to the constant monitoring by the top officials of the Medical and Health Department and the Andhra Pradesh High Court’s intervention to help the people of the Uddhanam region in Srikakulam district tackle the Chronic Kidney Disease of Unknown Etiology (CKDu) widely prevalent in the region, the district administration has laid a renewed thrust on the establishment of the long-awaited kidney research centre-cum-hospital at Palasa and initiated various socio-economic support measures for the patients.
Many years after the experts began studying the phenomenon, which has come to be known as ‘Uddhanam nephropathy’, a large number of families continue to suffer from the chronic disease.
With a view to finding ways to help the affected people overcome the disease, District Collector Srikesh B. Lathkar has laid focus on two aspects – construction of the research centre-cum-hospital and supply of safe drinking water.
“Construction of the research centre-cum-hospital is going on briskly with the allocation of ₹50 crore for the purpose. The officials and contractors concerned have been directed to stick to the project timelines,” Mr. Srikesh told Th e Hindu.
Drinking water project
This apart, a sum of ₹700 crore has been sanctioned for the drinking water project that caters to the requirement of 807 villages in this fertile region known for coconut cultivation and cashew industry. So far, ₹250 crore has been spent on the water project, which is targeted to be completed by the end of this year.
“The sanction of a nephrology unit at Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Srikakulam is a boon for the patients. A notification has already been issued for the appointment of nephrologists,” Mr. Srikesh said.
HC directive
Meanwhile, a Division Bench of the High Court, led by Chief Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra, had recently directed the State government to submit reports on the preventive measures initiated and the steps taken to cure the patients, to the State Legal Services Authority (SLSA) once in two months.
This is in tune with the National Legal Services Authority’s direction to all the SLSAs to identify core issues, including provision of healthcare services, and try to resolve them. This is to achieve the larger objective of protecting human rights of the people of the Uddhanam region.
The court further directed the State government and the local bodies to provide proper medical aid and adequate healthcare to the CKDu patients at the hospitals and Primary Health Centres (PHCs), irrespective of the financial constraints, and upgrade the hospitals in the region in order to treat serious cases.
The court also asked the Union and State governments to ensure that the drugs for the management of the CKDu and its complications were supplied free of cost to the patients and they did not go out of stock at the public health facilities.
Telemedicine facility
Meanwhile, the Uddhanam Foundation established by former Itchapuram MLA Piriya Sairaj and his wife Vijaya, who is the chairperson of the Srikakulam Zilla Parishad, has been providing medical assistance to the patients through the telemedicine facility.
“Many patients are unable to meet nephrologists directly as they can’t travel to Visakhapatnam or even to Srikakulam. That is why we are helping them interact with the experts directly over phone and video call facilities,” said Mr. Sairaj.
CPI(M) district secretary D. Govinda Rao has appealed to the government to make efforts to save the patients from the financial burden, which is worsening their suffering.
