Kerala village to be made disease free

New Delhi, Sep 1: A unique health care programme will be launched in a Kerala village ensuring free treatment to all the 2400 identified patients and making the people aware of steps to prevent illnesses and manage good health with an aim to make the village totally disease free.

Chandiroor village in Alapuzha district has been adopted as the first Siddha Village under this 'Karunyam' project of the Santhigiri Ashram.The project will be implemented by the teachers and students of the Santhigiri Siddha Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram.

Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Anbumani Ramadoss will inaugurate this venture on September five.

Chandiroor was adopted after a medical survey of the entire village, which has 3000 households. About 2400 of the village's population were found to be suffering from some or the other disease. According to the Survey Director, 600 of them suffer from serious ailments. The village happens to be the birthplace of the Santhigiri Ashram founder Navajyotisree Karunakara Guru.

According to the survey, contamination of backwaters and unhygienic conditions are resposible for the prevalence of the chronic diseases in the area. Twenty -five per cent of them suffer from rheumatic complaints, 20 per cent from respiratory problems, 15 per cent from skin and various kinds of other disorders.

The survey found that there was no safe drinking water available there. Water is contaminated by industrial wastes, micro organisms and sewage. Hydrogen sulphide and ammonia were found in the water.

Stagnated water was the breeding ground for mosquitoes, the main vectors responsible for filariasis.

The plan is to treat the patients with Siddha medicines. Drug trial on certain cases will also be conducted, according to Coordinator of the Siddha Village Dr K Jagannathan.

Doctors and medical students will hold medical camps at regular intervals.

The health awareness programme include lessons on personal hygiene, sanitation, purification method of drinking water, prevention of contamination of water, management of occupational hazards and role of medicinal plants and diet regulation.

The Medical College has plans to adopt more villages, Dr Jagannathan said.

UNI