Twitter
Advertisement

As ignorance thrives, quacks have a field day in Melghat villages

A little interaction lead to the startling revelation that he is only an arts graduate... a BA pass practising medicine.

Latest News
article-main
(Above) Dr Nikhil Uppalwar, medical officer, Chunkhadi Primary Healthcare Centre, questions Bhimraj Bele, a BA pass who has been ‘practising medicine’ in Madizhadap village and administering antibiotics and steroids (left) to the tribals; (right) Rameshwar Sahulkar, who suffers from severe acute malnutrition, is one of the many victims of the quacks in the village
FacebookTwitterWhatsappLinkedin

In a neatly pressed checked shirt, a man in his mid 30s was having lunch at the anganwadi's house in Madizhadap — a village in the interiors of Chikhaldara taluka — when dna's team visited the village. He was introduced to us by the sarpanch as a private doctor who has done a lot of work in improving the health of people in the area.

A little interaction lead to the startling revelation that he is only an arts graduate... a BA pass practising medicine. "I have done a doctor's course from Betul in Madhya Pradesh. I have also done Jan Swasth Rakshak course," Bhimraj Bele said with confidence. He added that he's been doing this for 10 years in Melghat villages, which are otherwise inaccessible to government health officials and doctors.

He is one of the many quacks operating in the region, according to state government health officials. "These quacks exploit the locals' belief in 'prick practise'. The tribals think that only injections and intravenous fluids are part of modern medicine," said Dr Nikhil Uppalwar, medical officer, Chunkhadi Primary Healthcare Centre.

Uppalwar, who was also accompanying the dna team, said Bele had a box of medicines which had antibiotics and steroids among other such pills. "When questioned, he did not know the antibiotics course. Irrational use of antibiotics leads to the body developing resistance against it. It is a known global health problem. He was also using steroids. Extensive use of steroids can lead to kidney failure, liver problem, etc," Uppalwar said.

An officer from the Chikhaldara police station said they have received a list of such doctors and are working to stop the menace.

According to social activists working in Melghat, the menace of quacks is one of the biggest challenges and roadblocks in improving health care in this terrain. These so-called doctors are mostly based in Khamla of Madhya Pradesh and travel on their bikes. "They target the inaccessible villages. Like most of the villages in Melghat, Madizhadap too has no proper health care system. The sub-centre is 8km away, the primary health care centre is two hours away. Due to the absence of basic health care, villagers are gullible to the services provided by these quacks," said Rameshwar Phad, co-ordinator, NGO Maitri, Melghat.

Madizhadap is one of the 320 villages in Melghat and has a population of 275. For every patient, these quacks charge anything between Rs50 and Rs800 for the medicines and injections. Many villagers are facing financial debts because of spending their hard-earned money on the quacks. "There are people who have even taken loans to spend on treatment by quacks. If a villager doesn't have money, quacks take foodgrains in exchange," said Phad.

Rameshwar Sahulkar, who is nearly two years old, is one of the many victims of quacks operating in Melghat. "He falls under the severe acute malnutrition category and has complications related to it. While we are treating him, his mother Rakhi is also consulting a quack. We are not aware how he is treating the child. We had advised the family to hospitalise him but they are not ready," said Dr Ambadas Adha, programme manager, NGO MAHAN, which works in Dharni taluka of Melghat. 

Find your daily dose of news & explainers in your WhatsApp. Stay updated, Stay informed-  Follow DNA on WhatsApp.
Advertisement

Live tv

Advertisement
Advertisement