UP vital in continuing India’s ‘polio-free’ status, says minister

Though India has been polio-free for three years now, the threat of Indian children contracting the disease is not over, with neighbours Pakistan and Afghanistan still reporting endemic polio cases.

Addressing a polio workshop here on Sunday, state health minister Ahmed Hasan said, “It is a huge responsibility to keep India polio free. Uttar Pradesh has to play a vital role in this effort,” adding that the role of doctors, social organisations and communities was important to spread awareness about the disease. He said special drives and routine immunisation of children would also play a vital role.

Calling upon t he social organizations, the health minister said that along with polio, organisations should also focus upon Japanese Encephalitis (JE), which was an issue the government was committed in eliminating.

The minister said Uttar Pradesh had sufficient funds and there was no need for any grant from outside to tackle health issues here. The only thing required was commitment and dedication by doctors and the society. “The hospitals have enough medicine, there are enough funds and we have already made provisions to provide free treatment and medicine to poor patients. What is required is more doctors and the government is making attempts to appoint them,” said Hasan.

During the programme, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between representatives of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) and the Rotary International to focus on JE. The programme included participants from various organisations, including United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).