By IANS
Kendrapada (Orissa) : The much-hyped polio immunisation programme appears to have come a cropper in Orissa with several children developing polio even after having taken the doses regularly.
Sikha Jena, 7, a resident of Charapada village in Kendrapada district, about 150 km from here, is unable to stand on her own.
"She was administered polio drops regularly in the past. But it did not work," Sikha's father Sukadev Jena said Thursday.
Jena ekes out living by working as a daily labourer. "I have written a letter to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for help to treat my daughter" he told IANS.
Manidipa Chakrabarti, 9, of neighbouring Chandol village is suffering the same fate. Her father Narayan Chakrabarti alleges that Manidipa was given regular doses of polio drops but her left leg became thin when she was only one year old.
Three years ago, Narayan had brought the condition of his daughter to the attention of the UNICEF (United Nation's Children Funds) office in state capital Bhubaneswar after the doctors of the local government hospital allegedly denied her treatment.
"A UNICEF team examined my daughter and later sent her to the polio hospital at Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh. It was confirmed that she was suffering from polio," Narayan told IANS.
Last year, two girls from neighbouring Bilabalarampur village also fell victim to polio although their parents claimed that health officials gave them polio doses.
"Health officials with the help of many NGOs have been providing polio doses to the children of the district. We have not come across any fresh cases of polio. If children are suffering from the disease then they must not have taken polio drops," said P. Mohanty, a doctor at the Kendrapada Government Hospital.
"Some families, mostly Muslims, had refused to immunise their children in the past. However, we had taken the help of their local religious leaders and immunised their children," he said.
Additional District Medical Officer (ADMO) Dhaneswar Pradhan said: "We will soon depute a medical team to examine Sikha to confirm whether she is affected with polio or not."