M F AHMAD
Daltonganj, Nov.30: Fear of the sloth bear has gripped the vaccination teams at Mahuadanr in the Latehar district.
Shanti Minz, an ANM of the community health centre Mahuadanr, said: “Whenever we go out for vaccination through the jungles, we fear that a sloth bear will appear before us any moment.”
Shanti with her co-ANM Manti Kumari and two Jal Sahiyas trekked a hillock through the jungles to reach the hamlet of the most vulnerable tribal group ‘Korwa’ at Chetma very recently.
The Korwas live in the contiguity of another state Chhattisgarh which is connected by road. 30 eligible Korwas took the jab during this drive.
Civil surgeon (CS) Latehar, Dr Haren Chandra Mahto, conceded that the foothills of Netarhat, Maromar and a large chunk of Mahuadanr are frequently visited by the sloth bear and he and his officials have to take extra effort to keep the vaccination team safe.
Medical officer in-charge of CHC Mahuadanr, Dr Amit Khalkho, said: “We do treat persons who get mauled by the sloth bears here quite often.”
“There are very hard-to-reach areas in Mahuadanr where topography already is a big challenge. Other factors like sloth bear just add to the problems here,” he added.
Ved Prakash, a health official in Latehar said, “Our civil surgeon Dr Haren Chandra Mahto has given instructions to all the ground staff to take precautions so they don’t have to face any untoward situation.”
