Bhopal gas tragedy completes 38 years; survivors still battling diseases

The government records consider 90 percent of the Bhopal gas tragedy victims as “partially affected”. However, according to an NGO working for the victims, 70 percent of the victims have been adversely affected due to toxic gas. There is also a huge inconsistency in the number of deaths on record.

Bhopal: As the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy clocks 38 years today, the victims are still facing the brunt of diseases with hospitals denying treatment to many. Several hospitals in Bhopal have cited the lack of Ayushman health cards as the reason for denying treatment, victims said. The tragic incident which happened on the intervening night of December 2 and 3, 1984, left thousands dead due to the leak of tonnes of the toxic gas methyl isocyanate released from the Union Carbide factory in Bhopal.

The survivors suffered from various disorders including respiratory and skin illnesses. Among the victims affected during the Bhopal gas tragedy, there are many who are suffering from deadly diseases like cancer. While the Gas Relief Department, in collaboration with AIIMS, is looking after such patients, the victims complained about the lack of specialist doctors for cancer treatment in AIIMS.

The victims said that due to a shortage of doctors, many departments in hospitals have been closed and patients are wandering for treatment in private hospitals. Another major obstacle in the treatment, many victims do not have an Ayushman card which guarantees free treatment up to a certain cap at hospitals.

The government records consider 90 percent of the Bhopal gas tragedy victims as “partially affected”. However, according to an NGO working for the victims, 70 percent of the victims have been adversely affected due to toxic gas. There is also a huge inconsistency in the number of deaths on record.

According to the figures presented by the government in the Supreme Court, around 5,000 people died in the tragedy. However, several organizations have claimed that more than 15,300 people have lost their lives in the tragedy.

Rachna Dhingra, a member of Sadbhavna Trust working for gas victims, said that as per the internal documents of the Union Carbide factory, if a person inhales methyl isocyanate gas, the effect of the gas is visible on the body throughout life.

“No matter how much treatment is done, the effect of this gas on the person who is in the grip of MIC remains for life," Dhingra said. She said that for the last 11 years, the victims' organizations have been urging the state government to at least present the correct figures of those who died in the Supreme Court, so that the right compensation can be taken from the respondents. However, the situations have barely changed.