Jayanthi herself is a victim of endosulfan like her daughter Prajitha: ManoramaJayanthi always wanted a daughter. She cherished Prajitha like the apple of her eye. She nurtured the child through the physical hardships left behind by the indiscriminate aerial spraying of a toxic pesticide over their village. Yet she lost the child to medical negligence.
When the mother’s grief threatened to create a political storm, the government woke up to do some firefighting. A minister flew down from Thiruvananthapuram to Jayanthi’s house in Kasaragod. Hollow words of solace poured in. So did promises of solatium. The family was offered Rs 2 lakh as compensation for the negligence on the part of government doctors.
Jayanthi and her husband knew that nothing would lift them out of their sorrow. Yet they desperately needed the money to look after their other children. A victim of endosulfan like her deceased daughter, Jayanthi herself needed constant medical care.
The money promised by the minister never came through, even after seven years. The couple followed it up through government offices from Kasaragod to Thiruvananthapuram but the files never moved. Ministers and top bureaucrats turned a blind eye towards their plight.
Jayanthi’s ordeal is a classic example of the futility of politicians’ promises, unless backed by official orders. At 40 years, Jayanthi’s eyesight is rapidly failing, thanks to the effects of the pesticide exposure.
Criminal negligence
Jayanthi yearned for a daughter after the birth of two sons. She never complained when her daughter came with multiple illnesses. Her world came crashing down when the child was admitted to the Kasaragod general hospital after a bout of epilepsy. The doctors and other staff denied the child treatment even though they knew she was a victim of endosulfan.
The hosptial authorities said that the doctor was on leave and he could treat the child in his private clinic. The doctor returned the child back to the hospital. Back in the hospital, no one attended to the child. The family took her to a private hospital but precious time was lost. Prajitha died.
The tragic death of the child shook the previous Left Democratic Front (LDF) government. Health minister P K Sreemathi personally went to console Jayanthi and husband Sasidhara. The health department took to task the accused doctor and promised financial aid to the family.
Jayanthi and Sasidhara has been knocking at all doors for the money promised to them. Even after seven years, the bureaucrats keep stonewalling their requests. The minister had never bothered to formalise her offer with an order.
Sasidhara, a daily-wage labourer, is struggling to look after his family. A large part of his earnings go towards buying Jayanthi’s medicines.
The successive governments were of no help either. As a last resort, Sasidhara has written to revenue minister E Chandrasekharan. He was expecting the minister from Kasaragod to be sympathetic to his cause. The minister wrote back, urging Sasidhara to contact the district collector for follow-up action.
Sasidhara said he had been told this several times. And he knows that he is not any closer to the money promised by the government. Evidently, this family deserves much more than routine replies.
