Lingering tragedy of Bhopal gas disaster

What compounds the suffering of the affected is that the core issues they face remain unaddressed to this day. The current status of health care, compensation, rehabilitation, prosecution of the accused, and remediation of the environment, read against the continuing demands, is briefly recounted below.

Gaps in medical care: There are over 450,000 registered victims seeking medical treatment at the Bhopal Memorial Hospital and Research Centre (BMHRC). Regrettably, they and those registered with other hospitals and clinics under the gas relief department of the state government are denied the best available treatment, despite ₹1,200 crore earmarked for this lying unutilised with the Union health ministry for the last 12 years.

BMHRC still awaits upgradation to autonomous institution status, which can facilitate the recruitment of specialists and consultants with appropriate emoluments. Forty years after the disaster, and in this digital age, the digitisation of the victims’ medical records remains poor, due to which the magnitude and gravity of the impact are underplayed and distorted.