VIJAYAWADA: The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has called upon states to actively participate in the national mission to eliminate major communicable diseases such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, measles, and rubella by 2030.
Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava emphasized that the Centre is working intensively towards this goal and urged state governments to boost their role in campaign.
She was speaking after a review meeting with senior officials at the Directorate of Medical and Health Services headquarters in Mangalagiri on Thursday evening, where she assessed the implementation of health schemes in AP.
Srivatsava expressed concern that non-communicable diseases are rising faster than communicable ones across the country. Climate change, poor personal hygiene, and improper waste disposal were cited as key factors contributing to the increase in diseases.
She warned that negligence in waste management could lead to a surge in malaria cases, while regular water quality testing is essential to prevent outbreaks of cholera, diarrhoea, and other waterborne illnesses. She highlighted the importance of inspections of blood banks, expansion of cancer care and trauma services, and detection of disease spread to enable preventive norms.
Earlier, State Health Secretary Saurabh Gaur briefed her on the implementation of flagship schemes such as Sanjeevini, 108 and 104 emergency services, and innovations introduced under the Medic Challenge initiative.
Srivatsava advised that new innovations should seek approval from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) to ensure scientific validation.