HEALTH CARE FOR DAMAGED CHILDREN
A new generation, unborn at the time of the gas disaster , continues to pay for the negligence of Union Carbide and Indian politicians. In communities where the water is poisoned by chemicals leaking from the abandoned factory, and in families where parents were exposed as children to the gases of 'that night', malformed and brain damaged babies are being born – too many to explain away statistically, too many to ignore. And yet politicians refuse to accept the grim reality that these children are also victims of the multinational chemical corporations that they continue to hail as the future of India's economic growth.
Nothing was being done for the children or their families, till the survivors' movement took matters into their own hands. Chingari Trust, working closely with the Sambhavna Clinic – both set up and largely staffed by survivors – is bringing much needed medical and counselling help to families with damaged children.
One of the objectives of Chingari Trust is to keep reminding the government and the companies involved of important long-pending issues. The need for proper medical treatment for children born to this day with congenital disorders. The need to provide children with the opportunity to lead dignified and self-reliant lives.
Chingari’s mission and belief is to work towards fulfilling these needs. It is committed to make available the best possible medical care, treatment and community based rehabilitation for these children. Chingari envisions a society which is sensitive to disabled people. It also believes that through its health care work amongst the children affected by Carbide's poisons, it can raise awareness in society about the deadly impact of toxic chemical industry.
The Trust is trying to set parameters of a sensitive and humanistic 'care' to showcase the best possible health care, and to force the government to make such health care available for all the affected children.
Towards this end, Chingari has initiated the following activities:
- Children with congenital disabilities: Identification of children under the age of 12 years with birth defects.
- Medical camps : Organising special medical camps with doctors of national and international repute to diagnose and prescribe holistic treatment and rehabilitation of affected children. Reports: English, Hindi
- Treatment and Community based rehabilitation: Putting forth the demands of long term medical treatment and rehabilitation of affected children and to make government implement these demands.
- Immediate medical attention: For children who need immediate medical attention, Chingari is trying to provide initial monetary and logistical support.
- Economic support: Alongwith medical care and rehabilitation of the disabled children, Chingari is also demanding for special monetary support from the state government for these children.
- Research based treatment: Putting pressure on the government to initiate research based long term treatment.
Below are some of the children. Over the coming weeks, we will be bringing you their stories.
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