SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, Nov 22: A joint monitoring mission team of global experts, headed by WHO head Dr Jonathan King, made a spot assessment of the ongoing Filarial elimination programme in Dhanbad and discussed the implementation of more effective measures for controlling the infection with the concerned authorities of the district.
The team has come to assess the ongoing programme in five states including Jharkhand, Bengal, Bihar, Odisha and Telangana. In Jharkhand, Dhanbad and Jamshedpur (East Singhbhum) districts were selected for assessment based on criteria fixed by the Government of India.
According to one of the team’s international experts, lymphatic filaria has not been completely eradicated despite significant efforts. Therefore, the primary goal of the team’s visit was to gather an on-site report of what is happening with the programme, what has been accomplished, and what the issue is with its incomplete eradication.
Besides the global head of the Lymphatic Filariasis Programme (LFP) Dr Jonathan King, LFP country head Dr K Kamlakar Laskere, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation chief executive Dr Vishal Dogra, Entomologist Dr Praveen Tiwari, Jharkhand Nodal Officer Dr Abhishek Paul, executive officer of Public Concern India executive officer Dr Rampal Singh were members of the team.
The team said that they would discuss the status and success of the programme in Dhanbad and Jamshedpur with representatives of the state government tomorrow in Ranchi and later with representatives of the Indian government in Delhi. They stated that better elements discovered in Jharkhand will be shared with officials of the other four states so they could implement them in their respective districts.
The team visited Topchanchi, Baliapur and Jharia in the Dhanbad district during their five-day stay in the district. The experts’ team took a detailed report of the villages from the District Vector Borne Diseases (VBD) consultant Ramesh Singh. The team also met Deputy Commissioner (DC) Sandip Singh and shared the assessment report with him.
The DC assured the team providing of the required funds for better facilities for patients and to check the infection. Earlier, the team also met with civil surgeon Dr Alok Vishwakarma, Shahid Nirmal Mahto Medical College Hospital principal Dr Jyotiranjan Prasad and Superintendent Dr AK Baranwal.
The team also suggested points to the DC and CS for the implementation of the anti-filaria project at the Health and Wellness Clinics.
