Nagaland procuring diagnostic equipment for 63 diseases, says Dr. Ritu Thurr

KOHIMA— Mission Director, National Health Mission (NHM), Dr. Ritu Thurr on Friday disclosed that the department of Health and Family Welfare is in the process of procuring diagnostic equipment for 63 diseases under the 15th Finance Commission.

The NHM mission director announced this while addressing the World Hepatitis Day programme jointly organised by Kripa Foundation Nagaland, National Viral Hepatitis Control Programme (NVHCP), Government of Nagaland, CDC, PATH and CAD Foundation at Red Cross Conference Hall, Kohima.

Informing that the equipment will be used in all community health centres and primary health centres at the block levels, Thurr said the first-phase of the equipment has already been procured and dispatched to some health centres.

He also informed that the state has 14 test diagnostics facilities available in all the health and wellness centres (HWC) and expanded health care.

Currently, there are over 600 health centres in the state including 11 district hospitals and a functional district hospital at Noklak, 21 community health centres (CHC), seven urban primary health centres (UPHC), 130 primary health centres, and 447 sub-centres, out of which 301 were converted to health and wellness centre (HWC), he updated.

Dwelling on detection of HIV and its history, he pointed out the need to create awareness and sensitisation about HIV/ AIDS and hepatitis.

The MD informed that the World Health Organisation (WHO), in 2016, declared to eliminate viral hepatitis by 2030 and India is one of the signatories to adopt this international declaration- Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) to eliminate communicable diseases.

He shared that since 2016 many countries have achieved a certain target by reducing the incidence of hepatitis B infection by vaccinating single-dose at birth.

Sharing that there are around 350 million people living with life-threatening viral hepatitis globally and one person dies every 30 seconds from it, he said the figure is alarming it is one of the most devastating diseases.

However, the health official maintained that hepatitis is preventable even with services that are available at primary health centre (PHCs) level.

State Nodal Officer, NVHCP, Dr. M Nukhshisangla Jamir, in her keynote address, stressed on the need for early screening and shared the way forward to continue efforts towards attaining SDG 3, Target 3.3. She also highlighted the prevalence of hepatitis disease in the state. (Ref. table)

She stressed on the need to scale-up advocacy and sensitisation through information, education and communication (IEC), strengthening intersectoral co-ordination, training and capacity building, strengthening integration among national health programmes and partner organisations, scaling up camp approach, promoting early registration of all pregnancies and institutional deliveries.

Further, Jamir highlighted the need to leverage on U=U (Undetectable = Untransmittable) and develop synergy and coordination with private hospitals, FOGSI and IAP.

Renbonthung Tungoe from Kripa Foundation spoke about community perspective and stressed on the need for uninterrupted availability of drugs for those undergoing treatment, and schemes for people to get tested and treatment, among others.

Later, Dr. Kughavi Yeptho, Medical Advisor, Project Sunshine Path, spoke on HIV and viral hepatitis (co-infection).