DAILY NEWS & ANALYSIS (Mumbai, India) 17 September 08 Lack of medical care kills more than snake bites
Petrified of snakes, residents of Tumne pada, a tribal village inside the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, chose not to rescue Raju Borande, 31 and his eight-year-old daughter Surekha after they were bitten by a snake.
The duo lost their lives right there as medical help did not reach them in time. Though there are no official figures, local activists estimate that about 10-15 tribals succumb to snake bites every year. “No one dared to climb down the hill and take them to a doctor,” said Vitthal Lad, member of NGO Jaag that works in the tribal areas.
A teacher in one of the anganwadis in Patachapaani, Vitthal Ramesh Munge recollected how one morning when he was teaching children, a huge snake fell right in the middle of the classroom. “It happens quite often that a snake either falls from the roof or enters through the window or the door,” he said.
But, the absence of medical facilities in the tribal settlements of Malad, Kandivili and Borivili has killed more people than animal attacks per say. The closest hospital to all these settlements is the civic-run Bhagwati Hospital that is about 10-20 km away. “Most of the times these hospitals do not stock anti-venom drugs as snake bite is a rare phenomenon in the urban area,” said Lad. Both Cooper and Bhagwati hospitals do not have stock of medicines most of the time, he said.
And, snakes are not the only creatures that keep these tribals indoor after sunset. Tiger scare looms equally large on them. In the past 10 years 116 tribals have lost their lives in tiger attacks. “If the attacks do not kill people, the lack of medical facility does,” said Ashok Khandvi, president of Shramik Mukti Sangh that works with the tribals.
Locals are scared to leave their homes after sunset. There have been instances when tiger attacked and took away children in presence of their parents. “Since there is no electricity, it is easier for the tigers to enter homes,” said Khandvi. Also, the forest is so dense that one cannot sense that a tiger is sitting a few metres away, he said.
Bhagwati Hospital medical superintendent Dr MG Wadiwala said the hospital gets snake-bite patients quite frequently. “We have drugs to cure bites at our disposal,” he said.
Lack of medical care kills more than snake bites