Healing farmers

Wednesday, 27 February 2013 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

KIDNEY disease is a debilitating condition that can have deep economic and social impact, but according to reports the Sri Lankan Government has failed to implement key recommendations given by the World Health Organization (WHO) to stem the rising tide of illness among the farming population.

Following the revelation of the deep inroads made by the disease, the Government appointed a Parliamentary Select Committee to understand and implement the measures recommended by various groups, including WHO. A technical committee member under the Parliamentary Select Committee went on record this week severely criticising the Government and particularly Health Minister Maithreepala Sirisena for not implementing services urgently needed for ill farmers.

Technical Committee Member Hemantha Withanage, who is the Executive Director of the Centre for Environment Justice, had told media that the disease was spreading to other parts of the country in the form of cancers. In his view, the Ministry of Health has failed to make the battling of the chronic kidney disease a top priority, despite stakeholders realising its danger and spending Rs. 100 million on a comprehensive multidisciplinary research project.

WHO Senior Advisor and Coordinator – Chronic Disease Prevention and Management Dr. Shantha Mendis had pointed out that the overall prevalence of the disease in the Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa and Badulla Districts in people aged 15 to 70 was a whopping 15%.

Recommendations for the use of alternative fertilisers, reduction of heavy metals in soil or making them less available, developing rice strains which require less fertiliser and resistant to pests, and reduction in environmental pollution have all so far received negligible assistance from the Government.

In addition, the availability of dialysis machines is few and far between. Despite the high number of patients, there are reported to be only around five machines capable of cleaning blood with long waiting lists and high expenses. Unable to meet these weighty costs, most patients turn to Ayurveda medication, which also results in more expenditure. Since some victims prefer to avoid conventional treatment methods, they are not recorded by the hospital system, which pundits claim is reason to believe that actual numbers of kidney patients is much higher than official numbers. There are even horror stories that families from Anuradhapura come to Colombo or nearby towns to purchase coffins as local shops have run out of stocks.

The Government is often fond of portraying the farmer as a nationalist symbol of pride. Yet, in this instance, years of suffering have been ignored. If the death of thousands will not make the Government sit up and take notice, then it is of the highest callousness. In this light, even the Government’s oft-boasted fertiliser subsidy cannot be held as a constructive policy.

The basic recommendations will take years to implement comprehensively and much assistance will be needed to be given to farmers as they distance themselves from using harmful chemical fertilisers and pesticides. Yet, without enough support and expertise coming their way, local farmers are doomed to repeating their mistakes and sacrificing their health in the face of the Government’s cold-hearted indifference.