The Madhya Pradesh High Court has issued notices to various departments and officials in response to a public interest litigation filed by Anshul Tiwari, alleging that more than 30 tribal children have died since May due to an undetected measles-malaria outbreak. During the hearing, the court had expressed concern about filing a PIL solely based on newspaper reports and asked the petitioner to verify facts before submitting a report.
On Wednesday, the Madhya Pradesh High Court sought a response from the state government on a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Anshul Tiwari, a resident of Narsinghpur district. The PIL was based on newspaper reports alleging that children were not receiving adequate medical care and around 400 children were being treated in a hospital with only 50 beds. According to Scroll, at least 25 children from the Baiga and Gond tribes have died since May due to an undetected measles-malaria outbreak in remote Adivasi habitations, as reported by PTI. For two months, the suspected outbreak went undetected because of the complete absence of a healthcare system in the affected areas. The division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Vivek Rusia and Justice Pradeep Mittal has issued notices to the State Health Department, Women and Child Development Department, the Balaghat collector, and others. During the hearing last week, the court had expressed concern about filing a PIL solely based on newspaper reports and asked the petitioner to visit the affected areas, verify the facts, and submit a report. On Wednesday, the petitioner submitted a report following his visit to Balaghat, alleging poor sanitation conditions, yellow-coloured water supply from handpumps, and delayed delivery of nutritious food, which he claimed were causing infections and contributing to the continued deaths of children.
Source:
Scroll.in
