Gorakhpur to get medical research centre to fight JE, AES

LUCKNOW: The union ministry of health and family welfare has decided to set up a regional medical research centre (RMRC) at Gorakhpur to check the spread of Japanese Encephalitis (JE) and the Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES).

Disclosing this, union health minister Harsh Vardhan on Monday said the centre would be set up by upgrading the existing National Institute of Virology (NIV) unit at Gorakhpur’s BRD Medical College. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has approved the proposal. The regional centre will conduct research on communicable, non- communicable, maternal and child health, nutrition, environment and other aspects relevant to the region.

The BRD Medical College would be upgraded to a super specialty hospital. Vardhan was interacting with the media persons and people on health issues through video conferencing. Expressing concern over deaths due to JE/AES, he said the disease had spread its tentacles to east UP, Bihar and Bengal. “Recently, I visited the USA and held talks with the experts of the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, on the issue.”

A team of experts from CDC visited the districts of east UP and reviewed the measures taken by the health department to check outbreak of the disease. The premier institute would submit a report to the ministry of health and family welfare. The recommendation of the experts would be implemented, he said. He said the central government would bring a strict law to check consumption of tobacco products. A committee has been constituted to give suggestions on measures to check use of tobacco. “We will get the recommendations of the committee approved by the union cabinet,” he said.