23 deaths later, govt wakes up, health teams arrive in Nadiad village

The C Saraswati Vidyamandir, the village secondary school, was turned into a makeshift hospital. Desks were pushed away, mattresses rented by the village panchayat served as impromptu beds, while intravenous drips hung from the ceiling beams as well as window grills.

According to Nadiad Chief District Health Officer Dr J.N. Patel, around 500 villagers are being treated for malaria, with blood samples collected and sent for tests at the makeshift laboratory in the village panchayat office.

While health officials baulked at stating it could be a malarial epidemic, village sarpanch Mayur Vaghela and taluka panchayat member Raijibhai Jhala said they had sent a written representation to the Nadiad CDHO, asking for anti-malaria drugs over a fortnight ago.

‘‘They said medicines were out of stock, so we called upon the malaria control officer, but nobody paid heed,’’ said Vaghela. The first victim was Raojibhai Vaghela who died on August 2. Thereafter, the deaths continued. ‘‘Patients had fever for four-five days, with vomiting,’’ says Dahyabhai, whose father Mangalbhai died last morning and uncle Bhikhabhai some days ago.

The nearest community health centre is at Alindra, barely 3 km away, where villagers say they were only handed out paracetamol tablets. It was on Monday again that the sarpanch made a representation to Mahudha MLA Natwarsinh Thakore. ‘‘I came to know about the problem only then, I called up all the district officials and they swung into action,’’ said Thakore.

Patel hedged when asked about the earlier deaths. ‘‘Ten deaths were related to malaria, the rest could be due to diabetes, tuberculosis or old age,’’ he said. Asked why it took a fortnight to react, he said, ‘‘The district office was not informed in time, two health workers have been suspended for failing to report to us.’’

Surashamal has the Mahi canal flowing by and a population of landless agricultural labourers. According to district health officials, the situation could have been aggravated due to the stagnant rain water near their homes.

Angry villagers, meanwhile, gave the MLA a verbal lashing. ‘‘I have been teaching here for the past 30 years, but malaria was never so bad. The health workers would come and give some tablet and go away, nobody bothered with poor villagers,’’ said P.C. Patel, a school principal.

Malaria patients at a makeshift hospital in Surashmal village on Wednesday. (PTI)