Josinta with her mother at their home in Mujnai Tea Estate. Picture by Subhash Chandra Bose

Jaigaon, June 8: A nine-year-old resident of a closed tea estate in the Dooars who is suffering from a debilitating illness spent 10 days at North Bengal Medical College and Hospital, allegedly without a single doctor or nurse attending to her.

Josinta Oraon’s parents have now brought her back home in Mujnai Tea Estate. Her debilitating illness is yet to be diagnosed.

The girl’s father, Durga Oraon, said Josinta fell ill on May 19 and was admitted to the Madarihat block primary health centre.

“The doctors there said her lower limbs were losing their mobility and she had to be taken to the referral hospital in Siliguri,” Durga said. He added that the girl had suffered from jaundice a month before she was taken to the block hospital.

The garden has been closed since November 23, 2007 and Josinta’s parents have no fixed job. They approached a fledgling social welfare group — Damdima Riverbed Welfare Organisation — for help.

The members of the organisation made arrangements to take the girl to Siliguri on May 23. But the girl’s mother, Sujita, said at the hospital Josinta did not get a bed and no doctor or nurse attended to her.

“Initially, she was given food but that too stopped after a couple of days. We had no other option but to return to the garden on June 3,” Sujita said. The hospital authorities could not be contacted.

The organisation’s assistant secretary, Mukti Toppo, said the girl was probably suffering from malnutrition.

“The people of the closed garden hardly get one square meal a day. So it is likely that Josinta is suffering from want to food. However, we don’t know where we can get her treated,” Toppo added.

Both Sujita and Durga said people were reluctant to engage them as labourers because they are frail and weak. “We leave our daughter at home every day and go out looking for work. The day we get some odd jobs, we cook food at home. Otherwise, all of us go hungry,” Sujita said.

Ashis Biswas, a health worker at the closed garden, said: “Without help, her chances of survival are slim.”