— PUNJAB HAS 214 FUNCTIONAL ANTI-RABIES CLINICS, PEOPLE CAN AVAIL VACCINATION FREE OF COST IN CASE OF ANIMAL BITE: DR BALBIR SINGH
— CM BHAGWANT SINGH MANN LED PUNJAB GOVT COMMITTED TO PROVIDING WORLD-CLASS HEALTHCARE FACILITIES TO PEOPLE OF STATE
CHANDIGARH, September 28:
On the occasion of World Rabies Day, Punjab Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Balbir Singh on Thursday stressed on the need for multi-sectoral coordination between different departments to minimise the risk of rabies.
The Health Minister was presiding over a training workshop organised to mark World Rabies Day, which aims to raise awareness regarding rabies prevention and highlight the progress being made in the fight against this terrible disease. This year’s theme was “All for 1, One Health for All”, highlighting that one health is not for a selected few, but for everyone, even for the last man standing in the queue.
Addressing the inaugural session, Dr Balbir Singh said that collaboration of different departments including Local Bodies, Rural Development and Animal Husbandry and engaging communities is the only way to considerably reduce the number of rabies deaths. “The only way to prevent dog bites is sterilisation of stray dogs,” he said.
He said that at present, Punjab has 214 functional Anti Rabies Clinics situated at District Hospitals, Sub-Divisional Hospitals, Community Health Centres, a few Medical Colleges and some PHCs. Every district has designated Nodal officers for the National Rabies Control Programme (NRCP) programme, he said.
Notably, a total of 834 paramedical staff and doctors have been given training and Anti Rabies Serum (ARS) is available in the State under Essential Drug List (EDL) and it is available free of cost.
Dr Balbir Singh said that in Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann-led Punjab Government is committed to providing world-class health facilities at zero cost to the public.
He also released a comic book prepared by the Mass Education and Media wing of the department, which aims to spread awareness among children regarding rabies in a pictorial way.
Secretary Health cum MD NHM Dr Abhinav Trikha emphasised that the preventive and promotive aspect of the health sector and in sync with the age-old saying ‘Prevention is better than cure ‘, in the disease of Rabies prevention is the only cure available.
Director Health and Family Welfare Dr Adarshpal Kaur exhorted the training participants to enlighten the field staff of the department regarding the disease and urged the general public to administer rabies vaccination after an animal bite.
