Gorakhpur hopes to see end of Japanese Encephalitis menace

The fight to eradicate Japanese Encephalitis, often dubbed as the curse of eastern Uttar Pradesh, responsible for the death of hundreds of children every year in Gorakhpur region, is expected to take decisive turn with Gorakhpur MP Yogi Adityanath being annointed as the UP chief minister .

Yogi, who was instrumental in bringing the AIIMS project to Gorakhpur after formation of the NDA government at the Centre in 2014, has been fighting a long battle for eradication of the disease from Gorakhpur region. The Japanese Encephalitis/ Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (JE/ AES) affects children.

The AIIMS, the most coveted project of eastern UP, was slated for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s constituency, Varanasi. But Yogi was instrumental in bagging the project for Gorakhpur. Sujeet Srivastava, a renowned astrologer of Gorakhpur, says: “It is very shameful that even after so many years of Independence, hundreds of children are dying in the Gorakhpur region due to Japanese Encephalitis. Now, we are hopeful that the state government under Yogi Adityanath will take a major decision to eradicate the curse (JE) from the region.

The BRD Medical College of Gorakhpur, which caters to the large population of the region, is grappling with shortage of funds. A long pending demand of people of the region to upgrade this medical college into a super speciality hospital is also likely to be fulfilled with Gorakhpur MP becoming new chief minister of the state. “It will take time for a fullfledged AIIMS to come up in Gorakhpur. Till then, the BRD Medical College which has requisite all infrastructure must be converted into a super speciality hospital,” said SB Singh, retired colonel, Indian Army, who is a native of Deoria.

The importance of the BRD Medial College for the Gorakhpur region can be gauged by the fact that it serves a vast population of many districts of Eastern UP, areas bordering Bihar and even bordering areas of Nepal. The area comprises three divisions of the state- Gorakhpur, Devipatan and Basti. The region is not only infamous for JE but also for other diseases like malaria, TB and cancer. Sir Surderlal Hospital, BHU, is another important medical centre in eastern UP .