A team, led by Dr Yogesh Dube, Member, NCPCR, and Lakshmidhar Mishra, Special Advisor to the Commission, NE Cell, recently visited Gorakhpur after reports of a large number of children dying of encephalitis and to inquire into the measures taken by the state to combat the disease.
The Commission found that the policies and programmes, which were sent by it to the government last year, were not properly implemented, a NCPCR statement said.
Special Secretary (Health) Arvind Kumar Dwivedi was also unable to give a proper explanation for non-implementation of the policies, it added.
Dube made it clear that if the lackadaisical attitude of the government continues then he would be forced to take legal measures.
"An all out action will be taken by the Commission to combat the problem of Japanese Encephalitis," Dube said.
He also visited Baba Raghav Das Medical College and Hospital and took rounds of the different child wards there.
The team found the hospital overcrowded and each bed had more than one patient. The hygiene conditions were also not up to the mark.
It also met the Divisional Commissioner, the District Collector and the Chief Medical Officer of all affected districts.
Dube stressed that the health officials should concentrate on combating JE/AES. He also emphasised on strengthening the primary health centres so that the medical college is not overburdened.
He also asked the Special Health Secretary to submit a report on implementation of policies.
After the health department failed to provide the number of malnourished children in the state, Dube ordered a survey in Gorakhpur, Devaria, Maharajganj and Kushinagar.
The team also visited the Government Observation Home for boys in Gorakhpur. The superintendent there was also asked by the Commission member to provide food cooked at home to the children for 15 days.
The team later visited the government home for girls. The CMO Gorakhpur was asked to do medical check ups for all the children and submit report to the Commission within a week.
Inspector General of CBCID was also asked for information on Human Trafficking and modus operandi of the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU).
