After terror: TISS report to CM stresses gaps,moots action plan

These are the words of family members of the July 13 blasts victims,lamenting the injustices and lapses they had to go through,as included in a report submitted to CM Prithviraj Chavan by TISS. It underlines the need to ‘broaden’ the range of support services to address the long-term impacts of a terror attack.

While TISS has worked with survivors and families of victims of the 2008 Mumbai attack,it recently concluded a pilot study to extend its services to the July 13 blast victims. The study,funded by Taj Public Service Welfare Trust,highlights some ‘pressing gaps’ and proposes action plans. Institute representatives will also meet Chavan to apprise him of the lacunae and measures needed.

A proper collation of basic details of the injured and deceased is a key recommendation. “We have been working with the 26/11 survivors for over two years. A major impediment is that several addresses can’t be traced due to poor documentation. Though most hospitals have a list of victims admitted,those who obtained only first-aid/emergency triage left without registering accurate contact information. Even among the in-patients,the out-of-Mumbai victims have left addresses of employers or the person who got them admitted. A similar trend is observed in the July 13 blasts cases,” says Jacquleen Joseph,associate professor,TISS.

The report,drafted by Joseph and Professor Surinder Jaswal,Dean,School of Social Work,TISS,says such improper documentation could limit the efforts to trace survivors for follow-up,lead to issues of compensation for the injured who were treated as out-patient cases and come in the way of maintaining an accurate data of those affected.

“This could also become a significant limitation in providing long-term services to all affected,especially the most vulnerable migrant workers who tend to go back to their parent states,” it says.

The report recommends an ongoing psychosocial assessment to ensure health interventions in various phases besides highlighting the need to establish a system that can coordinate and anchor relief and recovery services,and be a “point of contact between the state and the survivor,to represent their concerns” during the recovery phases.

“Provision of healthcare is assumed to be the only responsibility of healthcare institutions,ignoring other psychosocial aspects like facilities for family members’ stay,need for information on whether one’s relative is dead/alive,details of the treating hospital,current status of the victim,availability of support services,medico-legal procedures etc. Sidelining of these dimensions in the name of emergency causes long-term psychological distress for survivors and families,” Joseph says.

A reconsideration of the compensation amount is another major recommendation. “The prolonged healthcare needs and related expenses go beyond the compensation amount given to victims. Though the treatment expenses are waived,a lot is spent on hiring private vehicles during follow-up visits. Most families prefer to get treated in local facilities,which raises the out-of-pocket expenditure. The family is further burdened by the loss of economic activity of the victim and the caretaker during the recovery phase.”