Thiruvananthapuram, September 17 (BPNS)
The victims of dog bites in the state will now get free medical care at government hospitals. This has been facilitated by a division bench of the Kerala High Court as it considered the rising stray dog bite cases in the state. According to the court, free medical care also includes free vaccines.
“During the time taken by the State to establish and set up the machinery to contain the menace of stray dogs, prompt efficient and free medical assistance shall be provided to all victims of dog bites at government hospitals including government medical colleges,” said the division bench comprising of Justices AK Jayasankaran Nambiar and Gopinath P.
However, the court reminded the concerned that the said treatment shall also be without prejudice to the right of the victim to separately seek compensation from the state for the injuries, mental and/or physical, sustained by him/her, before the appropriate forum.
The court also directed that the dogs which are suspected to be rabid should be tranquilized and contained.
In the case of Kudumbashree’s role in taking up the animal birth control (ABC) programme, the counsel for the Animal Welfare Board of India informed the court that the matter will be looked into and the needful will be done expeditiously.
Earlier, the state government submitted the action plan it rolled to address the stray dog menace to the division bench.
The plan based on four components – an intensive vaccination programme, shelter homes for stray dogs and abandoned dogs, waste management, and awareness campaigns – will get implemented at the local body level and will be monitored by committees at the state, district, and local body levels.
Major components of the plan,
– vaccination campaign to be carried out from September 20 to October 20
– vaccination among stray dogs to be carried out by local bodies with the help of animal welfare bodies, resident associations, and others
– vaccination to be carried out free of cost
– it will be the livestock inspector who will carry out the vaccination among stray dogs
– priority to be given to vaccination at hotspots
– dog catchers at the local body level to be maintained by sourcing from volunteer army, Kudumbashree, animal welfare organizations, Janamaithri Police, and others
– such volunteers to be provided with rabies pre-exposure prophylaxis
The other day, the division bench in a special sitting observed that the state government is obligated to protect the citizens from the attacks of ferocious dogs. The court which then posted the matter on September 16 also directed the government to furnish a detailed report regarding the steps taken so far by it along with the status of the compliance of earlier orders given by the court to tackle the menace of dog bites.
