Interest of Adivasis to be protected: KTR

Minister for Panchayat raj and IT K. Taraka Rama Rao on Tuesday said that the next elections for grampanchayats will be conducted only after making Adivasi gudems and lambada thandas in agency areas with a population of 500 as gram Panchayats in the Telangana state.

Mr Ramarao told the Adivasis that next elections for GPs in the agency areas will be held in the gram panchayats as per Adivasis slogan ‘Mava Nate Mava Raj’ (Our government in our Village).         

Addressing a public meeting at Jodeghat on the occasion of Komaram Bheem’s 75^th death anniversary, he said the state government was in the process of creation of Gudems and Thandas as Grampanchayats.

The minister promised the Adivasis that the state government and Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Ra will not do anything against the interests of Adivasis and their survival and will give importance to all the tribals.

He said first priority would be given to the Adivasi gudems in the agency areas in giving drinking water under Telangana Water Grid Scheme and 50 double bedroom houses will be constructed for the Adivasi families of Jodeghat.

Ramarao reeled out various welfare and development schemes being implemented by the state government and was all praised for the CM’s initiatives for the welfare of the Tribals.

Minister Ramarao said state government was making efforts to strengthen the government hospitals in the agency areas by upgrading the PHCs and filling up the doctors’ posts. The government also plans to increase salaries of the doctors working in the agency areas, he said.

Ministers Jogu Ramanna, Allola Indrakaran Reddy, Chandu Lal and Sanskritika Sarasdhi Rasmai Balakishan, in their speeches said the state government was committed to the welfare and development of the Tribals.

Adilabad MP Godam Nagesh and Peddapalli MP Balka Suman stressed on the importance of the education and appealed to the Adivasis focus more on education to change their lives.

Komaram Sonerao, grandson of Komaram Bheem, thanked the CM for recognizing sacrifices of Adivasi matyrs led by his grandfather who fought for their community rights. He appealed to government to sanction double bedroom houses to the Adivasis. All the Ministers inaugurated Jal, Jungle and Jameen arch and paid homage to Komaram Bheem

Artemisinin helped check malaria: ITDA

The officials of the Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA), Utnoor claimed that they have controlled the malaria positive cases and its related deaths using ‘Artemisinin’ medicine (ACT combipack) this year in the Adilabad district of Telangana.

China’s scientist Tu Youyou got Noble prize in medicine category for developing the medicine Artemisinin for the year 2015.

Artemisinin has been proved to be doing well medicine in controlling malaria across the world and Tu Youyou has developed the medicine from the traditional Chinese medicine.

Project officer of ITDA, Utnoor R.V Karnan said they have used the Artemisinin medicine to control the malaria cases in the Agency areas and treated 5,985 malaria positive cases in this year in the district and that they have procured nearly 22,000 ACT kits to treat patients.

He said many lives have been saved by administering ACT medicine in the Agency in the district this season. However, 18 people succumbed to malaria this year.

Karnan said the number of deaths were considerably low in ratio of detected positive malaria cases in this year when compared to malaria positive cases and deaths in previous years.

According to official sources, the ITDA, Utnoor has procured only 7,000 ACT kits till 2014 from 2008 from the directorate of medical and health but nearly 22,000 ACT kits were procured from various sources in 2015 to control the malaria cases with special efforts made by project officer of ITDA.

However, according to unofficial sources the actual number of malaria positive cases and deaths is much more than the official figures this year like in the past.

Generic medicines a boon for the poor

Generic medicines could be life-saving for poor if made them available in the agency areas and slums in the towns in the district as many poor are not in a position to buy the costly branded medicines prescribed by the doctors.

Two Generic medical stores at Nirmal government hospital and at RIMS in Adilabad town are being run successfully in the district. The generic medicines have proved to be boon for the poor.

The Union Ministry of Drugs and Pharmaceuticals will give Rs 50,000 fund for setting up generic medicine store. Many people are now showing to set up generic medical stores.

There have been incidents when Adivasis could not afford to buy prescribed medicines and succumbed to diseases. If generic medicines are made available precious lives can be saved.

Adivasi leader Kanaka Venkatesh opined that, it would be good if ITDA, Utnoor comes forward to set up generic medical stores in eight agency mandals head quarters where seasonal diseases are being reported every year.

ITDA can give instruction to the private and government doctors to prescribe only generic medicines.                

The Union ministry of Drugs and Pharmaceuticals will give Rs 50,000 fund for setting up generic medicine store.

Many people are now showing to set up generic medical stores in the towns in district. Poor cannot afford to buy medicines prescribed by doctors and succumb to diseases. 

Generic medicines are helping poor patients with their lower prices, thus reducing the medical expenses in the Adilabad.

The generic medicines medical store which was set up at RIMS is highly useful to the people of the district. Poor patients including large number of tribals from across the district come to RIMS for better medical treatment.

Patients are now purchasing medicines from generic medical store at cheaper prices compared to other medical stores.

Owners of the other medical stores around the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), and in the Adilabad town along with some doctors have been creating trouble to the generic medical store as the formers’ sales have fallen.

J. Srinivas, pharmacist at the generic medical store, said there was good response to the generic medicines from the people and added that the generic medicines prices would be up to 70 percent less when compared to those from branded companies.

He said generic medicines work in the same way and are just as effective and people should not believe rumors stating otherwise.

However, people of the Adilabad town for that matter in the district were not exposed to generic medicines as such medical shops are a recent addition in the few towns like in Nirmal.

It is the known fact that majority of the doctors promote the branded medicines with their company names but they never mention the formula of the medicines in their prescriptions. Doctors will get commissions for promoting the company medicines.

Patients and their family members get benefit in term of the less expenditure on medicines only when doctors write the formula of the medicines which are available in generic medicines.

P. Laxmi, a patient who purchased the medicines at Jeevandhara Medical store at RIMS, said she was surprised at the amount in the bill that was far lower than in the regular medical store. It is the way poor people are being exploited ruthlessly by Pharma companies to make a profit. 

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