MERCY BIHAR CLINIC ROLLBACK PLAN UNHEALTHY FOR 800 PREGNANT WOMEN

By P. Vijian

NEW DELHI, Jan 2 (Bernama) -- Mercy Malaysia's plan to roll back next month
the only health clinic managed by a humanitarian agency in rural Bihar due to
limited funds will leave more than 800 young and poor pregnant women without any
medical aid, according to a Mercy Malaysia health coordinator.

Che Tah Hanafi said 882 pregnant women had registered with Mercy and that
all of them were due to deliver this year, but Mercy, volunteer relief
organisation providing medical and humanitarian services locally and abroad,
planned to close the Biratpur Health Centre because of limited funds for its
India operation.

"Not only will the women suffer without proper anti-natal care, but many
babies will be deprived of basic healthcare. We have adequate medicines but need
money to operate our centre," she told Bernama after returning from an
evaluation trip to Bihar.

Mercy, backed by its volunteers, has been providing medical care in the
north of Bihar, one of the backward states in India, since the devastating Kosi
flood in August 2008 which displaced over two million villagers.

The voluntary agency, which largely relies on public donations, badly needs
about US$100,000 (about RM350,000) to fund the centre, located in the northeast
of Bihar, for another year.

Mercy had been carrying out primary healthcare projects in the interior of
Bihar ever since the Kosi flood tragedy, spending almost US$250,000 (about
RM875,000) to provide medical aid.

At the height of the humanitarian crisis, it operated two mobile clinics,
gave away hundreds of blankets during the freezing winter and other medical aid
to flood victims, and later set up a healthcare centre in the Biratpur area in
Saharsa district, one of the poorest areas in Bihar.

In the last eight months, 70 babies were delivered at Mercy's centre and
22,000 outpatients were treated in the 24-hour six-bedded centre manned by 12
local staff.

The nearest government hospital is 45km away from Mercy's centre and the
local people, largely from the farming community, do not travel the distance for
medical help.

"People here badly need medical care. We have been treating all kinds of
cases, babies with burns (caused by kerosene lamp accidents) diarrhoea,
tuberculosis and Malaria. We even had pregnant mothers with HIV and hepatitis.
It's worrying to leave them," said Che Tah.
-- BERNAMA