Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Neonatal mortality rate in Madhya Pradesh is one of the highest in the country. So are the maternal mortality ratio and neonatal mortality rate.
Dr. N. Banerjee, former head of the National Institute for Research in Environment Health, ICMR, Bhopal, talked to Free Press on preventive health care mechanism. Excerpts.
Hospitals are there for treatment of diseases. But what about the preventive mechanism?
Preventive mechanism in the state is very poor. Government spends much on ensuring diagnostic facilities in hospitals but it should focus equally on strengthening preventive mechanisms, as it helps in nipping the disease in the bud. Once a preventive mechanism becomes strong, it will reduce the financial burden of the government and give better results in health care in the state.
How preventive mechanism helps in controlling diseases before their outbreak?
Preventive measures help in early detection of any disease. Prevention controls disease by reducing morbidity, mortality and transmission. Initial prevention prevents disease before it occurs. Examples include immunisation programmes, vector control and health education to promote lifestyle changes. Secondary prevention includes early detection, which involves screening to identify diseases in their earliest stages even before symptoms appear when treatment is most effective.
Vaccination should be made mandatory for newborns. Government should make a provision wherein vaccination of children be made a mandatory norm for issuance of ration cards. Ration card should not be issued to a family if it doesn’t get its children vaccinated. It will help to reduce Neonatal Mortality Rate, Maternal Mortality Ratio and neonatal mortality rate.
Environmental factors have emerged as a major health hazard. How should people remain safe from it?
Environmental factors driving disease outbreak include poor sanitation, contaminated water, climate shifts and vector breeding sites. Prevention focuses on improving water quality, vector control (nets, pesticides), sanitation, hygiene education, vaccination, and enhancing environmental surveillance to manage hazards before they spread. Focus should be on water quality; otherwise, contamination in water can result in outbreak of many diseases.
What is the other method to ensure better health care in state?
Government should make health cards to cover all kinds of initial check-ups. It will help government in controlling disease at initial stage. Prevention is better than cure (diagnosis). People should understand the importance of preventive measures. It should be made compulsory.
