Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Mahakalapada, Feb 19:

In a strange coincidence, more than 25,000 people from three villages in the Mahakalapada block in Kendrapada district in Odisha, Health minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak's constituency, are dependent on a quack, a matriculate from West Bengal for their health needs.

quack kendrapada

The Giri Medical store in Tantiapala village, of Mahakalapada block in Kendrapada district is run by Sasadhar Giri, a matriculate who is allegedly giving prescriptions to his patients.

Giri, a native of Contai in West Bengal, has turned his medicine shop into a clinic and provides all kinds of medical facilities like giving injections, intravenous (IV) fluids and treats all kinds of diseases, even paralysis! He treats around 50 to 100 patients every day.

Giri has clarified that he does not see patients, but is only giving IV fluids and injections to the sick.

Notably, the Primary Health Centre (PHC) in Babar is 9 km away from Tantiapala village and the PHC is 12 kms away from Tarapada. Even these health centres do not have doctors. Similarly, Rajnagar Community Health Centre is 10 kms away.

Interestingly, patients from Suniti and Gogua panchayat under Mahakalapada block and Koilipur panchayat under Rajnagar block depend on this quack for treatment.