Government hostels become death traps for students of marginalized sections in TS

ADILABAD: Student deaths are on the rise in government hostels and residential schools in the north Telangana districts including erstwhile Adilabad district in recent months.

The much sought-after government social welfare and residential schools and colleges are fast losing their credibility. Shortage of funds, poor sanitation, unhygienic conditions, contaminated water, poor quality of ingredients in preparing food, lack of supervision, and poor quality of food are plaguing these hostels in the past one year.

The recent floods further worsened the situation and food poisoning cases were reported in large numbers and many students fell sick.

Huge delay in providing medical treatment to such students has become a major cause of concern vis-à-vis government hostels.

In many places, these government hostels have become death traps for students of marginalized sections.  

A total of five students including a degree second-year girl student died of health problems and viral fevers last month in erstwhile Adilabad district. Among the five, four belonged to tribal communities and one was a dalit. 

Tribal student Lavdya Sangeetha, degree second year at TTWRDCS died while undergoing treatment at the private medical college in Karimnagar on August 31. She was a native of Chinthakunta village in Sirpur (T) mandal. 

Parents of the Sangeetha alleged that their daughter died due to negligence of the medical staff at the Government Hospital who administered a ‘drug’ twice within a few hours and subsequently she went into to coma.

It is learnt that, the ANM gave a paracetamol tablet to Sangeetha when she complained of fever.                  

The staff of the hostels, residential schools and colleges says that they were not getting bill reimbursement from the government for the treatment provided to the students in emergencies at private hospitals.  That is why now, the staff of the hostels and residential schools take the students who fell sick and even in emergencies to the government hospitals for treatment, it was explained.

Atram Kavitha, 15, of Jendaguda village of Utnoor mandal, was studying SSC at KGBV hostel at Utnoor and died while undergoing treatment at RIMS on
August 9.

Gomasa Ashwini of the 5th class studying in the  SC hostel died of viral fever a few days ago in Kagaznagar. She was a native of Buyyaram village in Kannepalli mandal.

Ashwani died just three months after she was admitted to the Social welfare hostel.       

Allam Rajesh, studying SSC in government Tribal Ashram School at Elluru village in Penchikalpet mandal suffering from viral fever for the last one week died on his way to RIMS, Adilabad for better treatment on August 24.

In another incident, a tribal girl Rathod Bhagya Sri, studying 5th class, at Tribal Ashram School at Kuntala died of viral fever recently in Neredigonda mandal of Adilabad district. She died while undergoing treatment at RIMS.  She was a native of Fakeer Thanda in Sirikonda mandal.

Student leader B. Rahul of Adilabad said the conditions became worst in the government schools from the beginning of the academic year, after two years of the Covid pandemic and lockdowns. There was no proper supervision of the student’s health and government hostels became death traps for the students of marginalized sections, he said.

He appealed to the officials to conduct medical camps on a regular basis in these institutions.

According to rough estimates, nearly 350 students fell sick in the government hostels in the state due to various reasons last month while nearly 1,000 students fell sick due to food poisoning in government hostels in the last eight months. Such incidents were reported more in numbers in erstwhile Adilabad, Karimnagar, Warangal and Nizamabad and Khammam districts.