MCC has not utilized central malaria control scheme: Report

MCC has not utilized central malaria control scheme: Report

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, October 19:  The Union Government spends crores annually on malaria control under the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP). According to this scheme, the central government supplies anti-larval and anti-adult mosquito chemicals and lab equipment such as slides, lancets, and needles for free. Surprisingly, Mangalore, which reports 20 – 25 percent of the malaria cases in the state, has never received this aid simply because the health department of the Mangalore City Corporation (MCC) has never applied for this scheme; instead, it has spent Rs. 1.5 crore getting the above-mentioned material from private companies. During the past 5 years, the MCC has spent more than Rs. 4 crore on malaria control programmes alone.

This year, 4,600 cases of malaria and one death were reported. Dr. Shantaram Baliga said that if the MCC’s health department had used the central aid, the money saved could have been used to hire health workers. Arun Kumar, the district malaria officer, said that the MCC had hired only 13 of the required 60 health field workers because it had no funds.

Shrinivas Kakkilaya has reported in his medical blog www.malariasite.com that pumping affected regions with chemical pesticides is hardly done anymore, adding that chemicals are used as a last resort and that the national policy is to create awareness among the affected people. This awareness, however, cannot be created without the required manpower. Manjaiah Shetty, the corporation health officer, said that he has never head of any central aid for malaria control.

C. Anbazhagan, the state regional director for the malaria control programme, said that central aid is reserved only for rural areas. T. S. Cheluvaraju, the state joint director for malaria and filariasis said the only seven cities in Karnataka were eligible for central aid; however, these cities are covered under the urban malaria scheme and not under the vector-borne disease control programme.

The practice in other states casts shadows over claims made by the officials of Karnataka. A. K. Chakraborty, the regional director of the programme for West Bengal, said that urban local bodies in Bengal got as many chemicals and equipment for malaria control as they wanted. S. K. Choudhary, his counterpart in Uttar Pradesh, said that the urban local bodies must submit their projected requirements through their state governments a year in advance. K. K. Mathur, regional director of Rajasthan, said that the same was practiced in Rajasthan.