Under Jyoti spotlight, healers in poorest district say no more branding babies

But no longer, she says. Not after participating in the district administration’s Jyoti campaign, a 68-day-long awareness drive in all the 169 grampanchayats involving over 4,300 traditional healers and an almost equal number of anganwadi and healthcare workers, panchayat officials and local youth.

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Nabarangpur, arguably India’s poorest district based on key development indicators such as healthcare and literacy, is the focus of a one-year assignment by The Indian Express that tracks poverty and change. And in the last six months, at least two children have died and 21 more hospitalised here after they were subjected to branding by pieces of iron, hot bangles and smeared with juice of wild fruits by traditional healers.

“I will no longer do anything that may endanger the life of a sick child. I may do a quick puja, but I will then refer the child to a local hospital,” Naveena told The Indian Express, a month after attending an awareness camp in her village.

The second phase of the campaign will start from the first week of July, and involve trainers staging folk plays to educate people about the drawbacks of traditional healing.

The first phase ran from March 1 to May 7, during which officials prepared a database of traditional healers — known as disharis, gurumayees and jaanis — for the first time in the district’s history. This phase involved jingles, audio clips and posters in the local Desia language, which were distributed in all the 10 blocks.

”Since March, there have been no cases of children being brought to our hospital with branding marks. No community health centre in the district has reported such cases, too,” said Dr Dharani Ranjan Satpathy, a paediatrician who handled most of the branding cases at the Nabarangpur district headquarters hospital.

District Collector Rashmita Panda said the campaign was not meant to combat traditional healing, which is considered part of the tribal way of life, but to make it clear that anyone who propagates branding of babies would be arrested. “The fear of punishment for causing any harm to children was necessary,” she said.

“Tribals and non-tribals have believed that a baby who is branded with hot bangle or nail is assured of good health. It was like buying medical insurance for the child. The healer was no less than a doctor, executing the will of God,” said former child development project officer Manorama Majhi, who played a key role in designing the awareness campaign.

“What endeared these traditional healers to villagers was that they never demanded money. They were happy with whatever people gave them in terms of cash or eatables like rice or vegetables,” she said.

Besides, with over 60 per cent vacancies for doctors at government health centres, people in remote villages had few options other than to trust age-old methods of healing.

But the latest campaign appears to have brought about a perceptible change in attitude, particularly among traditional healers.

In Fatakot village, 65-year-old healer Haladhar Kumbhar said he would start referring ill children to hospital. “Earlier, we used to get divine orders for treatment of diseases. But I learnt that (this method) may not be best for the child and could do harm,” said Kumbhar.

In Badakumuli village, 60-year-old Ratan Majhi, who gave traditional herbs to snakebite victims, said he has stopped offering such treatment. “I hardly get any patients now,” he said.

In remote Chandahandi block, officials said that a healer himself contacted the local child development project officer after parents brought their babies for branding while another in Kosagumuda now refers villagers to hospitals.

But a few traditional healers are still not convinced about the need for change. “Will doctors be arrested if children die in hospitals? Will you undertake such an awareness camp for doctors, too, then?” asked a healer in Jharigaon, who did not wish to be identified.

Some of those involved in the campaign also expressed the fear that holding awareness camps may not bring lasting solutions.

“It’s not easy to change the mindset so soon. The administration has to reach out to as many traditional healers as possible and address their issues. Some of them may be happy with getting an old-age pension. Continuous engagement is necessary,” said Manorama Majhi, the former official.

District Collector Panda said the government is planning to implement special schemes for traditional healers.

”We have decided that whoever gives information about branding cases will be given cash from government funds. We are also planning to give them houses, land deeds, etc., under government schemes. We have identified one person in the age group of 19-35 in each traditional healer’s family for training in skills such as industrial sewing machine operation, garment quality checking, masonry, mobile phone repair, etc. We will also hold special skill development camps and finance them through banks for setting up their own business,” said Panda.