Keonjhar: Health officials in the district has started awareness campaign in the wake of recurring reports of the practice of children being branded with hot iron by traditional healers.
A nine-month-old male baby was hospitalised on Wednesday in a critical condition after being branded with hot iron rod at Talajagara village in Bansapala block. However, he is out of danger, district headquarters authorities said.
The department has been undertaking awareness drive from time to time. Still there is no let-up in the branding cases. At least a dozen of cases of sick children with marks of hot branding have been reported in the past year. On December 26 last, a newborn male baby died following the branding. In 50 per cent of these cases, the victims are newborns. The branding cases might be on a higher side as many of these go unreported, said district child protection officer Dibangana Barik.
These cases are coming to light despite awareness programmes by government agencies. There are instances of traditional healers or black magicians being arrested for perpetrating the practice, she said.
Call it superstition or orthodox practice, the crude form of treatment is inflicted on babies to cure them of sickness or common ailments in several areas of the state where the state-run health service network has abysmally failed to deliver the goods.
The branding cases are mostly being reported in predominantly tribal-inhabited hamlets in Bansapala, Telkoi and Harichandanpur blocks of the district.
The health department had undertaken drives in the past to sensitise the parents on the evil practice. The awareness campaigns have however yielded moderate results. Therefore, the department would renew the drive shortly.
Sensitisation campaign will be carried out at the Integrated Child Development Centres in the tribal pockets.
The health personnel and anganwadi workers would hold periodic meetings and distribute leaflets highlighting the hazardous effects of iron rod branding on the babies, said additional district medical officer B.B. Mishra.
