PANAJI
In a bid to keep a tab on outbreak of diseases, including zoonoses (animal-human transmitted disease) and iron out the networking issues between departments like health, veterinary sciences and others a State level Surveillance Committee has been constituted which will be headed by the Health Secretary.
The committee will work in accordance with guidelines issued under the Centre’s Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) overseen by the Directorate of Health Services.
Apart from the Health Secretary who will head it, the panel comprises both the district collectors, the Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forest, the Director of Health Services, Dean of the Goa Medical College, the Director of FDA, the Director of Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Services, DHS Deputy Director (Public Health), DHS’ Deputy Director who heads the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme, the HoDs of the GMC’s Community Medicine and Microbiology departments and DHS’s State Surveillance Officer as member-secretary.
The panel has been set a mandate to formulate terms of reference and the modus-operandi for the various government sectors or departments to network in instances of outbreaks. It has also been tasked with monitoring and evaluating at an early stage diseases which are outbreak prone, zoonoses and any other biological dangers and disasters.
Other responsibilities of the panel, according to a notification issued by Under Secretary Health-II, Dr Pooja Madkaikar, are to analyse and improve understanding of communicable diseases through operational research and to also create awareness.
It has also been given the responsibility to form and guide district level committees to shoulder the same tasks in their jurisdictions and also advise the government on capacity building and training of health professionals.
Another crucial task the panel has been given a mandate for is to advise the government on the requirement and location of special laboratories in the State or in the region.
