Anemia hits Jharkhand

Sanjeev Shekhar

With nearly 73 percent of the girls & 68 percent of boys in Jharkhand suffering from anemia, the UNICEF is extending its support to the Human Resource Department (HRD) of the state government to effectively implement Iron Deficiency Programme (IDP) here.

Giving this information during the sidelines of the national conference of the Indian Association of Preventive & Social Medicine, the nationally acclaimed specialist in anemia Dr. P.V.Kotecha pointed out that this state has largest number of anemic patients among the adolescent. Dr. Kotecha and UNICEF Programme officer Deepika Mehrish Sharma made the presentation on pilot project of providing iron tablet once a week instead of everyday.

“The thrust of the conference was pertaining to youth friendly health services. The IDP has been executed in Jharkhand and the “modus operandi” is simple. The HRD department with the help of UNICEF distribute iron tablet among the girls students in schools once a week. On evaluation of this programme, it has come to our knowledge that the number of anemic patients and severity of anemia has declined to a great extent,” the Delhi based specialist Dr. Kotecha & Deepika said.

The National Health Family Survey-3 revealed that Jharkhand has got highest percentage of anemic patients and the programme of IDP has been executed in five districts of the state. Doctors at the convergence meet expressed their happiness over the result and strongly felt that there is a need to lay emphasis on public health.

The Director National Institute of Health & Family Welfare, Dr Devki Nandan stressed the need of introducing public health teaching in medical undergraduates. He said that the country is presently going through “epidemio logical transition,” thereby meaning that the numbers of communicable and non-communicable disease patients are increasing in the country posing challenge before the medical fraternity to develop better understanding of the public health.

“Infectious diseases like diarrhea, cholera, tuberculosis, malaria and non-communicable diseases like cancer, heart, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease & diabetes to name are a few are growing parallel and the medical practitioners need to devise and analyse ways to control the menace in the interest of humanity,” Dr. Nandan said.

According to him there is a need for on-the-job training to for medical practioners and health personnel for combating the newer issues and challenges that arise in day to day life.

Sanjeev Shekhar

Journalist/Media Consultant/PR