Team of doctors who visited violence-hit areas in northeast Delhi present report

A team of doctors under the umbrella of an organisation had visited the violence-hit areas in northeast Delhi after the riots, and it has recommended that "large-scale organised efforts" are needed to heal physical, mental and social wounds of people.

Interacting with mediapersons, the group of doctors -- Progressive Medicos and Scientists Forum -- released a report on their assessment of the situation around the time of violence and condition of health facilities.

"There has to be a large-scale organised effort on part of the government to heal the physical, mental, psychological, social and financial wounds which have disfigured the lives of people in the violence-affected areas of northeast Delhi," the group said in a statement.

There is clearly a need for medical services to be proactively taken to the community in the violence-affected areas, seek out patients and provide them effective treatment for physical injuries, mental and psychological trauma in facilities existing or created closest to their homes, said Dr Harjit Bhatti, convener of the forum.

Outreach teams constituted of doctors, and other paramedical staff, equipped with necessary equipment, medicines and other consumables be constituted forthwith, it said.

"Existing public infrastructure in different localities be used to create field hospitals, may these be government dispensaries, urban primary health centres or the schools and other such places.

"Social workers and civil society volunteers need to be deployed in large numbers to reach out to the people house-to-house and inquire about the injured or those sick and requiring help. Help need be taken in this regard from departments of social work in universities in Delhi," the statement said.

In the hospitals nearest to the affected areas, a ward need be separately designated for some time to expeditiously deal with cases of serious injuries due to communal violence, Bhatti said.

Mental and psychological health care is a pressing need when it comes to dealing with the victims of such violence. Teams of psychologists and mental health experts shall have to be created to provide the necessary counselling and medical relief in this regard on a more long-term basis. This constitutes a necessary measure to fortify the healing touch, it said.

Fifty-three persons had died in the communal riots that broke out late February in parts on east Delhi.