BHUBANESWAR: The State Government on Thursday urged the Centre to provide long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) sanctioned for Odisha with the assistance of Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM) and Domestic Budgetary Support (DBS), at one go.
While earlier the Centre had agreed to supply 1.13 crore of LLINs under GFATM through the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP), an additional 40 lakh nets have been allotted to the State under DBS recently.
In a letter to Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry, Odisha Health Secretary Pramod Kumar Meherda has requested to supply all 1.53 crore nets at a time instead of phase-wise manner. The State Heath Department has sought delivery of all nets before the ensuing three-tier panchayat elections.
Since the LLINs supplied between 2009 and 2012 had appreciable impacts in very high burden districts, the decision to supply the same nets once again has been widely hailed by the State as it would help in combating malaria to a great extent, Meherda said.
Though 17 high burden districts will be covered with the present support under GFATM, Meherda observed that some other high burden districts are likely to be left out due to lack sufficient nets.
‘’Total requirement of LLINs for the State is around 1.56 crore. Earlier, we had submitted the indent to the Directorate of NVBDCP. We are informed that along with 1.13 crore LLINs under GFATM, the Centre has allotted additional 40 lakh nets under DBS. If we get the additional nets at a time, the high-risk population of 70 lakh in 62 blocks of 10 more districts can be protected,’’ he said.
Earlier, the Health Department had urged the State Election Commission (SEC) not to bring the distribution of LLINs under the purview of Code of Conduct for the ensuing panchayat polls scheduled in February next year. The department is yet to get a communication from the SEC in this regard.
The Directorate of NVBDCP had decided to supply about 69 lakh nets out of 1.13 crore in a phased manner between December and February.