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Public Health / Sanitation

‘VMC taking steps to prevent malaria’

Friday, 27 September 2013 05:48 administrator
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The Hindu             27.09.2013

‘VMC taking steps to prevent malaria’

Staff Reporter

The Vijayawada Municipal Corporation in-charge Chief Medical Officer of Health P. Ratnavali on Thursday said that the VMC was taking all possible steps to prevent spread of vector-borne diseases. The VMC was implementing action plan in all the six sub-units and taking up anti-larval operations regularly. Peridomestic places treatment, pyrethrum indoor spray, fogging, indoor residual spray etc were being carried out, she said.

The corporation was taking up these activities in areas where malaria positive or suspect cases were reported. Emphasis was laid on 50 houses neighbouring the malaria positive or suspect cases also. The VMC conducted mega medical camps in the city, she added.

 

Mosquito-free Patna in a week: Patna Municipal Corporation

Thursday, 26 September 2013 12:04 administrator
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The Times of India                26.09.2013

Mosquito-free Patna in a week: Patna Municipal Corporation

PATNA: Senior officials of Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC) claimed they would rid the city of mosquito menace within a week as the corporation, on Wednesday, received 59 handheld fogging machines from suppliers.

PMC additional commissioner (in charge of revenue and sanitation) Shashank Shekhar Sinha told TOI, "We had placed an order with a Pune-based firm for 59 handheld fogging machines."

The PMC spent around Rs 20 lakh on buying these new fogging machines. The Cost of each machine is around Rs 35,000. Now, the corporation has 71 fogging machines of which three are big and 68 are handheld.

Earlier, the PMC had only three big and nine handheld fogging machines. Of them, four belonged to PMC while five belonged to malaria office. The New Capital Circle (NCC) had only one big and two small fogging machines, Kankarbagh circle and Bankipore circle had one each big and small fogging machines while Patna City had none. The five handheld fogging machines of malaria office were generally used by all the PMC circles.

Now, the NCC would get 24, Kankarbagh and Bankipore circle would get 9 each and Patna City circle would have 17 fogging machines. The 12 old fogging machines will be used as earlier.

"We are planning to increase the budgetary allocation for fogging machines from Rs 20 lakh so that each ward can have at least one fogging machine of its own, making it possible to have daily fogging," said Sinha, adding, "With the increased number of fogging machines, we expect to fog each ward at least every alternate day.

Each fogging machine requires ten litre diesel, four litre petrol and 200ml malathion, to operate for one hour. "Malaria officer has been entrusted with the task of destroying mosquito egg and larva while our job is to get rid of adult mosquitoes," said Sinha.

 

NMC red tape holds up health mission in Nagpur

Thursday, 26 September 2013 11:57 administrator
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The Times of India                26.09.2013

NMC red tape holds up health mission in Nagpur

NAGPUR: Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has always cited lack of funds justifying its inability to provide proper healthcare to citizens, one of its basic responsibilities. So, it was expected that when central government announced it would provide crores of rupees for improving medical services' infrastructure in cities under its National Urban Health Mission (NUHM), the civic body would jump at the offer. No such luck. On the contrary, NMC is delaying the project by not doing something as simple as submitting minutes of the general body meeting to central government.

The city is supposed to get funds for development of 50 urban primary health centres (UPHC) and 10 urban community health centres (UCHC) under the project. NMC submitted a detailed project report with the centre and also got in-principle approval for it. The centre is likely to sanction Rs 78 crore for the project. The share of the centre in funding the project would be 75% while 25% will have to come from the state and civic body. The project was to be implemented from this month.

The centre wrote to NMC on May 24 seeking a resolution in the general body giving final approval to the project. The NMC took its own time and brought the resolution before general body on August 19. However, since then it has not found time to forward a copy of the resolution along with minutes of the meeting to central government. A senior NMC official told TOI the documents were yet to be sent to the government. "Proposal was tabled before the general body immediately after receiving the centre's letter. It came up for discussion on August 19. The copy of resolution is yet to come from committee department," he said.

NMC sources said even minutes of the meeting held on August 19 are yet to be approved by the general body. "Minutes of the meeting were supposed to be tabled before the general body on September 16. Minutes of deputy mayor election held on August 12 were tabled and approved but not of August 19 meeting," the sources said.

Sources added that the delay was in office of mayor as ruling party leaders were yet to finalize the minutes. "Couple of corporators from ruling alliance itself complained about no information being given to them about the project. One of the corporators even demanded that minutes not be approved unless entire project was studied properly. Municipal commissioner Shyam Wardhane requested the house not to keep the proposal pending and forward the resolution to the Centre as soon as possible. Mayor Anil Sole approved the proposal with suggestions from corporators," the sources said.

Under the project, one UPHC will be set up for every 50,000 population. One UCHC, which would be an indoor hospital, for every five to six UPHCs, one Auxiliary Nursing Midwife (ANM) for every 10,000 population, and one Accreditated Social Health Activist ASHA (community link worker) for every 200 to 500 households. The project aims at reduction in Infant Mortality Rate (IMR), Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) and other serious health concerns.

Denying there was any delay from office of mayor or ruling alliance, leader of ruling party Praveen Datke said committee department had not submitted the minutes till date. "Delay is on the part of administration and officials should ensure quick work especially for such good projects," he said.

 
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