COVID-19: After 15 Deaths Due to Virus, MP Govt Agrees to Screen Bhopal Gas Tragedy Survivors

Bhopal: After the death of 15 Bhopal Gas Tragedy survivors in the last 40 days owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Madhya Pradesh government has finally woken up from its slumber and decided to conduct screening in the BGT-affected areas since Saturday, May 3.

The state government has roped in the Bhopal district administration, National Institute for Research in Environmental Health (NIREH), Gas Relief Department and NGOs working among the survivors of gas tragedy to undertake a health survey in the gas-affected areas to identify victims with co-morbidities, who may have symptoms of COVID-19 infection.

In addition to that, district administration designated the Rasool Ahmed Pulmonary Medicine Centre of Gas Relief Department as the observation centre for COVID-19 suspects for the gas tragedy survivors. The affected would be quarantined here till the report of their sample is received. A committee of six officials with sub-divisional magistrate Jameel Khan as the nodal officer has been constituted to ensure all necessary facilities like medicines, food, hygiene and so on at the centre.

Out of 16 deaths owing to the pandemic in state capital, 15 were BGT survivors. All of them barring one had a history of ailments like respiratory disorder, kidney dysfunction, cancer, hypertension and diabetes.

NewsClick has previously reported about the government’s apathetic attitude towards the gas tragedy victims, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Several NGOs working for BGT victim had already flagged the state government on March 22 that the gas-hit victims are more prone to the pandemic and demanded special care including survey of the gas-hit victims colonies. But no efforts were made so far.

Also read: COVID-19: 5 Deaths in Bhopal, Gas Tragedy-hit Patients, Activists Demand Screening of Survivors

The decision to conduct the survey in the gas-hit colonies has been taken on Friday after Madhya Pradesh Health Commissioner Faiz Ahmad Kidwai held a meeting with a number of NGOs working for gas hit victims and senior health officials.   

Following the meetings, Bhopal District Collector, Tarun Pithode, issued an order constituting a four-member committee to “compile a list of gas victims, conduct a survey among them, identify the high-risk persons among them, collect their samples and take necessary step for their treatment”.

When asked about the survey, a senior officer of the survey committee said, “It’s a established fact that gas-hit victims have health problems related with lung, kidney and other organs, which obviously make them an easy target of the virus. We want to prevent further infection to them. NIREH scientists and staffs have the list of critical patients and their addresses. The team will enlist the critical ones and conduct screening in the area and take further actions.”

Expressing her happiness over the decision, Rashida Bee, gas-hit victim activist said, "Special care of gas-hit victims and screening of serious patients were our long standing demands. We are glad that the state government has finally taken notice. If theses decisions would have been taken earlier, some deaths could have been prevented."