ZIRO, 25 Jul: A three-day regional review meeting(RRM), being organised by the National Centre for Vector Borne Disease Control (NCVBDC), got underway here in Lower Subansiri district on Wednesday.
Addressing the participants in the inaugural session, Health & Family Welfare (H&FW) Commissioner Pawan Kumar Sain urged them to “discuss the key issues, identify lacunae, and come out with actionable points.”
NHM Mission Director Marge Sora in his address instructed the staff to “prepare a micro-plan for every village and work in coordination with the administration,” and advised them to learn from the practices of other states.
Lower Subansiri Deputy Commissioner HP Vivek lauded the district for achieving malaria-free status two years ahead of the set target, and commended “the first-of-its-kind waste disposal initiative.”
The DC spoke also about the transportation of blood samples to remote areas of the district, using drones.
“This not only shortens the time for diagnosis but also increases the quality of diagnosis,” he said, and urged the panchayat members present at the meeting to ensure “intersectoral coordination such as PRI, PHED, PWD, UD and administration, without which malaria-free status will not be attainable and sustained.”
NCVBDC Additional Director Dr Pranab Jyoti Bhuyan informed that “now there is 81.59 per cent reduction in malaria cases, compared to 2015, in the GFATM states. In the same period and states, there is 79.76 per cent reduction in death cases.
“India is set to be declared malaria-free by 2030, which means that there shall be no indigenous cases of malaria in the country from 2027,” he added.
NCVBDC State Programme Officer Dr KT Mulungand DMO Dr Nani Rika also spoke. All the senior regional directors under the union H&FW ministry attended the meeting.
The RRM is a quarterly event that is attended by all the states that are funded by the Global Fund for AIDS Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM). The 10 GFATM states include Arunachal, Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura, Odhisa, Chattisgarh and Jharkhand.
