District officials say there are close to 1,000 CZs in Palghar district, in the villages; tribals ask what Covid-19 is, exposing serious disconnect
Villagers without masks on a bullock cart in Mokhada taluka. Pics/Hanif Patel
The tribal-dominated district of Palghar is in the grip of the second Covid-19 wave but without the precautions that have become commonplace in cities. Seventy per cent of the population in Palghar district is tribal. According to the District Health Officer Dr Dayanand Suryawanshi, in the district’s eight talukas more than 623 people have died of Covid-19.
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A mask-less woman with her baby in Chaas village
He said there are 866 containment zones in the eight talukas of Dahanu, Jawhar, Mokhada, Palghar, Talasari, Vasai, Vikramgarh and Wada. However, during a ground visit, mid-day found that villages had no containment zones (CZ) and nor was the practice of isolating being followed. THE worst-affected taluka is Palghar where 234 people have died of Covid-19, followed by Dahanu where 104 have died. The percentage of tribal population in Palghar and Dahanu talukas is 31 per cent and 57 per cent respectively.
Talukas with a large share of tribal population include Jawhar, Mokhada, Talasari and Vikramgarh where Covid-19 deaths till May 16 are 32, 18, 29 and 31 respectively.
Covid-19 victims’ houses do not have banners notifying them as Covid-19 affected. Relatives and friends of Covid-19 victims have been visiting families to pay condolences and no social distancing is followed.
Dr. Suryawanshi also said that an awareness campaign has been conducted to educate tribals about the pandemic. However, villages like Kondachapada, Bedukwadi, Kaprichapada, Kawalpada, etc in Jawhar and Mokhada talukas, which mid-day visited, did not have any banners or posters providing information on Covid-19.
“There appears to be a lack of effort in tracing high-risk contacts and creating CZs. This has become one of the reasons for the rapid spread of the virus,” said Ulhas Bhanushali of NGO Shramjeevi Sagathana.
‘We don’t know Covid-19, CZs’
In Kawalpada village, 35-year-old Raju Brahmane died of Covid-19 on April 24. “We do not know what Covid-19 is. No one came here to tell us about it,” said Brahmane’s neighbour, Lila Bhondave.
Raju Brahmane’s wife, Mathi, with her five children at their residence in Kawalpada village
Vilas Fupane, a 40-year-old teacher died on May 2. “We do not know what a containment zone is. My brother died and we brought his body here and conducted his last rites in the presence of 50 people,” said Ramesh at Bedukpada village.
‘They wait till last moment’
“Lack of stable internet has also deprived the tribals of authentic information on Covid-19. Most believe that if they visit a hospital for fever or cough, they will die. They rush to the hospital only when their health starts deteriorating or when they face difficulty breathing,” said DHO Dr. Suryawanshi.
After losing his job amid the pandemic, Brahmane returned to his village five months ago. “He was suffering from TB. On April 22, he started struggling to breathe. So we rushed him to a private hospital in Morchundi. He had cough and fever. The doctor referred him to Sakhri Covid-19 centre from where he was referred to Revera Covid-19 centre in Vikramgarh. He died within two days,” said Brahmane’s father, Halya, 52.
“Doctors did not give his body. The last rites were conducted by the hospital staff,” Halya said. Brahmane is survived by his wife, Mathi, and five kids aged between four and a half and 14 years. “No one came to seal the house. How will we go out if the house is sealed? The toilet is not inside, we have to go out,” Halya said.
Serpentine roads, lack of O2
The roads in Palghar are serpentine and inclined, which slows down travel considerably. Ramesh Fupane from Bedukwadi in Mokhada said, “I had taken my brother to the hospital on my motorcycle because the ambulance was going to take over an hour to reach. My brother was running out of breath.” Vilas was referred from Sakhri Covid-19 centre to Vedantaa hospital in Dahanu. “I was in the ambulance. I saw my brother gasping for breath. Suddenly he became motionless and when I asked the ambulance driver, he told me the oxygen is over. How can a hospital send a serious patient in an ambulance without adequate oxygen? My brother could have been alive had he reached the hospital in Dahanu but he ran out of oxygen,” Ramesh said.
Lila Bhondave (in orange saree), Raju’s neighbour with other residents of Kawalpada. Pics/Hanif Patel
Surekha Salve, who lost her journalist husband Raju on May 3, has not been restricted to her house, and neither have her three children and father-in-law. Surekha said, “After my husband fell sick, we rushed him to Sakhri Covid-19 centre in our own car as the ambulance takes time to come.” Raju had tested positive on May 1.
During the course of Raju’s treatment, the family was referred from one centre to another. “His oxygen level started to fluctuate between 75 and 80 and then the doctors at Sakhri Covid-19 centre referred him to a hospital in Jawhar. They arranged for an ambulance but he died on the way as the ambulance ran short of oxygen,” Surekha said.
‘Increased antigen tests’
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Palghar Zila Parishad Siddharam Salimath told mid-day that all SOPs related to Covid-19 are being followed. The residents of the above villages have not undergone antigen or RT-PCR testing. However, Additional District Health Officer Dr. Milind Chavan told mid-day that antigen tests are being conducted in the district on a war footing. “We have increased antigen tests [in tribal areas] from 3,000 to 4,000 per day and reports are given in 20 minutes. For RT-PCR tests, the samples are collected at different health centres and the swabs are sent to JJ Hospital, Haffkine, NIRRH and a few hospitals in Dahanu. Their reports come in 48 hours,” Dr. Chavan said.
The chairman of a government-appointed committee to look into the status of schemes for tribals in Maharashtra, Vivek Pandit, told mid-day, “Generally, tribals hide symptoms of Covid-19. They must report to the nearby health centres at the earliest but they rush to the hospital only when the situation goes from mild to moderate. Then the case goes beyond the doctor’s control.”
A picture of Raju Brahmane with his wife, Mathi
“These deaths are happening because of lack of awareness among tribals. Most tribals do not know what Covid-19 is or what are its symptoms and what they should to safeguard themselves. Our field workers from Shramjeevi Sangathana (an NGO) are visiting different talukas in Maharashtra and using megaphones and loudspeakers to make people aware of the pandemic,” Pandit said.
Volunteers, fever clinics
DHO Dr. Suryawanshi, said, “We have identified a group of adolescents in the tribal belt as Covid-19 volunteers. With the help of these Covid-19 volunteers or health volunteers, we will address two issues — early detection [of Covid-19 cases] and vaccination.” Dr. Suryawanshi added, “We understand that the distance between the tribal villages and their nearest health centres is long. So we are trying our best to shorten it. We have planned fever clinics which will cater to around 3,000 people so that tribals don’t have to walk more than one or two kilometres for tests.”
Dr. Sagar Patil, the assistant district health officer, said, “A rapid response team has been established at each block to trace high-risk contacts.”
Women and children without masks in Kawalpada village
4,654
No. of active cases across the eight talukas of Palghar
623
No. of Covid-19 deaths among tribals in 8 talukas of Palghar
4,000
No. of daily antigen tests in tribal areas as per officials
70%
Proportion of tribal population in Palghar district
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