Dedicated 24x7 snakebite helpline launched in Assam’s Sivasagar
The SARPA Assam team launched a 24x7 snakebite helpline focusing on community engagement and coordinated strategies to achieve zero snakebite deaths.
Photo: Pixabay (Representational image)
Sivasagar, Feb 15: The ‘Snakebite, Awareness, Response, Prevention, and Action’ (SARPA), Assam team organised a stakeholders workshop on co-development and implementation of strategies in Sukapha Bhawan in Sivasagar on Friday.
The ICMR sponsored workshop focused on community empowerment and engagement for mitigating snakebite envenoming, and brought together district officials, health administrators, and community representatives.
The programme was chaired by Bidisha Saikia, branch officer (DM, Sivasagar). The session opened with welcome remarks by Dr Rafika Yasmin, project scientist of the ICMR Zero Snakebite Death Project. Dr Surajit Giri, co-principal investigator, outlined the objectives, and methodology of the project, while seeking guidance from stakeholders to ensure effective implementation during the project’s tenure.
An important moment of the workshop was the launch of a dedicated ‘24x7 Snakebite Helpline Number – 99578-75108’. The helpline, first of its kind among implementing states, is designed to provide immediate assistance, awareness, and referral in snakebite-related cases.
Aksheeta Sharma, project technical assistant, spoke on the functioning of the helpline, explaining how it will operate, and emphasized the importance of community participation in spreading awareness and forwarding the number among families and groups. She also shared updates on the team’s progress so far and outlined plans for upcoming activities. The floor was later opened for participants to provide feedback and suggestions on field-level strategies and inter-departmental collaboration.
The workshop was attended by Mridul Yadav, district commissioner, Sivasagar; along with Dr SA Laskar, State nodal officer, SBPC, NHM and State coordinator of the SARPA project, Assam; Dr Gayatri Senapati, district nodal officer; Dr Arundhati Borah Hazarika, additional health officer; district programme manager, NHM; CEO of Sukapha Hospital; CEO and ADC of DDMA; as well as officials from various district administrative departments, tea garden managers, and wildlife rescuers from Geleky and Demow blocks.
Around 60 stakeholders attended the programme, reflecting strong collective commitment to the initiative. The district commissioner assured full support from the district administration for the project’s implementation, while the State nodal officer highlighted the importance of collective effort in achieving the vision of zero snakebite death and explained how the State government is working to strengthen this initiative.
The SARPA project is currently being implemented across seven states in India, with Assam’s Geleky and Demow blocks in Sivasagar district serving two of the key sites. The dedicated project team comprises Dr Surajit Giri, Dr Rafika Yasmin, and Partha Protim Boruah, Manjeet Neog, Sukanya Bhagawati, and Aksheeta Sharma.