Union min Baghel inaugurates 1st National Public Health India conference

Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare SP Singh Baghel on Friday inaugurated the first National Public Health India Conference (NPHICON-2024) in the national capital here.

The three-day conference is being organized from February 23 to 25 by the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) under the Directorate General of Health Services. NITI Aayog member Dr VK Paul was also present on the occasion.

Speaking on the occasion, the Minister highlighted the significance of the conference in advancing public health discourse and in formulating policies aligned with the Prime Minister's vision for Viksit Bharat. The minister commended NCDC for its leadership and dedication in organising this pivotal event that will contribute to the development of resilient health policies and interventions.

He said many experts, doctors, etc., are participating in this three-day National Public Health India Conference organized by the NCDC. All the experts will discuss what research is being done in the health sector.

The Minister said that the most important scheme of the Government of India is the Ayushman Bharat Scheme. Earlier, the most discussed diseases were ones like Kala-azar, Japanese fever, and dengue. But under the leadership of the Prime Minister, due to the construction of 4 crore toilets in rural areas, the number of patients suffering from diseases like Kala-azar has reduced.

Water is reaching people's homes through taps. Smokeless gas cylinders have been given to 12 crore people. Four crore 'pucca' (brick) houses have been built. So now people do not sleep in the open outside the house. Electricity supply has been made available 24 hours a day so that even a poor person can get rid of mosquitoes and flies by running a fan. Due to all these schemes, the diseases, including Kala-azar, that were prevalent earlier in rural areas have been reduced, he added.

Dr Atul Goel, DGHS, National Center for Disease Control, said many infectious diseases are also being discussed at this conference. "There are many infectious diseases in the country on which we are focused. But there are some of these diseases on which our country is working very fast and we are moving forward to eliminate them. These include diseases like Kala-Azar, TB, rabies, and malaria."

He said that programs are also being run by the Health Ministry regarding the elimination of Kala-azar. Apart from this, the rural housing scheme also has an important contribution to this. Because sandflies were found mostly in 'kutcha' (mud) houses and were an important cause of this disease. But the construction of pucca houses has provided relief from this problem. But no disease is completely eliminated. Cases start decreasing, transmission stops, and the number of patients suffering from diseases like Kala-azar (black fever) has also reduced to a great extent; one patient in one lakh people is suffering from this disease.

Dr Roderico H Ofrin, WHO Representative to India, also participated in this conference. He said that the National Public Health India Conference, organized by the NCDC, has brought together various experts, researchers, students, and practitioners who are coming to share their best practices, their papers, and their research. Presentations will be given by all the participants on different topics for three days.

During the occasion, a revamped NCDC website, a new e-journal of NCDC, Epi-Dis-Phere Public Health Resilience and an e-techno-doc comprising oral and poster abstracts of presentations to be done at NCDC were also launched.