Outrage in Bihar as brain fever kills 103 children
BIHAR VILLAGERS BLAME GOVERNMENT FOR THEIR PLIGHT
Potests erupted in Bihar over the high children from suspected encephalitis over the past fortnight. According to an official report, a mystery disease has killed 103 children while dozens of others are still admitted to various hospitals in the state.
Most of the deaths have been reported from north Bihar’s Muzaffarpur district and around it. While 85 children died at the state-run Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital (SKMCH), the remaining 18 died at a private hospital in Muzaffarpur town.
Villagers were angry that the state government didn’t seem serious about the crisis, even as their children continued to die, and blamed the government for ignoring the plight of the poor. Most victims are impoverished and belong to ‘backward’ or ‘Dalit’ families, it is said.
Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar came face to face with angry protesters on Tuesday when he visited SKMCH in Muzaffarpur to meet victims’ families. “Nitish Kumar go back and chief minister down, down,” shouted angry villagers congregated at the hospital
gate as the chief minister entered amid heavy security. The chief minister visited the hospital 17 days after the disease broke out in the region.
“My child was referred to AIIMS in New Delhi when I admitted [him] for treatment at the local hospital. Tell me how can I arrange for money to rush there and spend on his treatment? I have already taken a loan of Rs40,000 [Dh2,101] from villagers,” shouted a protesting woman. “Soon after the outbreaks, the leaders come, make announcements and go, but the problems persist. We don’t want monetary compensations for deaths of our children, we want eradication of this disease, which has robbed happiness from hundreds of families,” another protester said.
Bihar Health Minister Mangal Pandey is facing more criticism after he asked reporters about the scores in India’s World Cup cricket match against Pakistan on Sunday during a press briefing by the federal health minister.