The Andhra Pradesh government should immediately sanction Rs 100 crore for rendering help to those who have fallen prey to kidney ailments in Uddanam area of Srikakulam district and then take up long-term measures to help them out, cine star and Jana Sena leader, Pawan Kalyan, has pleaded. He is an ally of the ruling Telugu Desam-BJP combine in the State.

He was speaking at Icchapuram in Srikakulam district on Tuesday morning during an interaction meeting with the sufferers. He said it was highly regrettable that the people's representatives from the area had done precious little to address the issue.

It may be noted that the Uddanam area in the district is in the grip of kidney diseases, the causes for which have so far not been identified. A large number of persons have succumbed to the diseases and many families have been rendered destitute during the past two decades. The issue has been highlighted in the local media and also at the state level for the past 10 years but not much has been done to address the issue comprehensively, even though facilities for dialysis have been created in the district.

Pawan Kalyan said he was appointing a committee of doctors working for his party to go into the issue thoroughly by studying the problem with the local doctors and submit a report in 15 days. "Then I will go to the Chief Minister with the report and request him to do something urgently," he promised the audience.

Earlier, a local doctor, Krishna Murthy, explained at length how the diseases were ravaging the area and how 1.5 lakh people in 120 villages were affected by it. "There is an urgent need to conduct a thorough research into the problem. Similar problems have been faced in some Latin American countries and Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka in association with the WHO has taken up a programme to control such diseases and a similar response is required here from the State Government as well as the Union Government," he said.

He said setting up dialysis centres was not enough, as dialysis would be required only at an advanced stage of the disease. Mass screening of the people in the area should be taken up and steps taken to treat the diseases in the early stage itself.

Earlier, the sufferers narrated their woes to Pawan Kalyan. He assured them of his help and, if the State Government did not respond promptly, would even launch a struggle in Srikakulam district.

sarma.rs@thehindu.co.in

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