Bihar’s Industrial workers are deprived of basic health facilities

Every citizen’s participation matters when it comes to a country’s overall growth and not even one man should be underestimated. Those working in the unorganised sector are as eligible to get good health facilities as those in the organised sector.

Last Updated on November 3, 2022 by Neelam Singh

A country’s development depends on the well-being of its citizens. A healthy citizen is capable of making maximum contribution to his country’s gross domestic product which, in turn, consolidates its economy. To be healthy means not only having commendable physical fitness but also mental well-being. But when one takes a look at those who work in the unorganised sector, it becomes evident that they do not get the same health facilities as their counterparts in the organised sector. A self-employed worker or wage labourer who is not a member of the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) or Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) is called a worker of the unorganised sector. While their work involves considerable risk, the facilities they get include little more than lip service.

It is a right for every citizen

According to one study, the unorganised sector plays a key role in job creation and domestic production in the Indian economy. This sector constitutes 93 per cent of the total workforce and 79 per cent of that includes poor and weak sections who fall ill by working in unsafe conditions. It is important to ensure health service for each person since every citizen has the right to stay healthy. But good health facilities remain beyond reach of the poor workers who work hard in the unorganised sector to earn a living amid inflation.

It is a challenging task in a heavily populated country like India to provide essential health facilities to each person, even more since a large section of people lives below poverty line (BPL) and in rural areas. Most of those who work in the unorganised sector are categorised as ‘BPL’ and they neither have the medical facilities nor financial advantage. Therefore, it is the government’s duty to protect these workers as well those who work in the related sectors in terms of health services.

A welcome step by the government

Recently, the Prime Minister’s office (PMO) has directed the ESIC to work on a plan by using its Rs 1 trillion-plus reserve fund to better its medical infrastructure and extend its reach to include all 740 districts of the country. The fund is mostly lying in fixed-income instruments with the banks. Under this, every worker engaged in the unorganised sector will be provided with health facilities.

In Muzaffarpur industrial area in Bihar, there are more than 10 types of factories where thousands of workers are employed. The boiler blast at a food-processing factory in Muzaffarpur in December last year has brought to the fore the pathetic safety condition of the workers. A number of workers lost their lives in the tragedy and several adjoining factories also got affected.

Money over human life?

Two labourers who work in the industrial area of Muzaffarpur said the authorities are little concerned even after the boiler blast tragedy. They said the workers do not get essential items such as shoes and gloves for safety and they get around Rs 10,000-Rs 15,000 at the end of the month. It is just for that much money that they are forced to risk their lives.

According to Vikas Yadav, son of Lalan Yadav, head operator of the ill-fated boiler who lives in Khajuha under Rasoolpur police station in Chhapra, the machine had problems but no action was taken. The authorities had been alerted a number of times but no initiative was made. Vikas, who worked as a mixing helper in the factory where the accident took place, said none of the workers has any health insurance so that they or their family get some benefits when such incidents happen.

According to Industrial data, every factory saw seven accidents on an average every month till January 2021 in which 162 people died. In a way, the lives of labourers working in the unorganised sector are given the least care and compensation is the only thing that they get post an incident. In coal factories, for example, workers often experience breathing problems but yet their health gets little importance.  

What the experts are saying?

Regular exposure to an environment contaminated by chemicals can cause various ailments. Dr Saket Sharma, MD, DM senior consultant pulmonary medicine, Jay Prabha Medanta Hospital, Patna, is an expert in tuberculosis. Referring to a case that he dealt with, he said breathing in polluted air can cause diseases such as silicosis and emphysema. Those who work in stone-cutting factories have a high risk of developing Erasmus Syndrome (silicosis + systemic sclerosis) as they continuously breathe in air filled with stone dust particles that are created by stone-cutting activities. Erasmus Syndrome is a rare disease and the labourers working in such an environment start showing its symptoms in 6-12 months.

Stories of these vulnerable workers come out only if there is an accident. But the reality is that every contribution that these people make, no matter how small they are, is important as they make an overall difference for the industry they work for. Workers’ unions also need to play a constructive role and raise voices for their rights so that their health requirements are not overlooked.

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