IMPHAL, April 27 - Respiratory diseases including asthma seem to be on the rise among the people in Manipur, according to the Director of the State Medical and Health Services K Rajo.
The department officials have arrived at findings in this regard through its monitoring systems, Rajo said while interacting with reporters on the sideline of the meeting of the State surveillance committee (SSC) here this afternoon.
The SSC meeting was attended by officials concerned of different government departments as part of taking up necessary strategies to protect the general population from the harmful effects of global climate change.
The State Health Department officials came to know about the recent development after examining findings at five hospitals in the State which include the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Institute of Medical Sciences, district hospitals of Churachandpur and Thoubal, besides the Raj Medicity in Imphal.
These hospitals were identified by the SSC under the State health services to study the impact of climate change on human health under the national action plan on climate change and human health since the past one year.
It may be mentioned here that the State environment health cell was formed in 2017 as per of the decision of the second SSC meeting held on October 31, 2017.
Sharing similar views, Dr Y Premchandra, who is the nodal officer of the State environment health cell of the Directorate of Health Services, said vector-borne and respiratory diseases were increasing in the State. To combat the ongoing climate change impact on the health sector, Dr Premchandra stressed that various steps were being taken in collaboration with the line departments concerned in the State. �We are even thinking of establishing water ATMs to provide safe drinking water facilities to the general public,� he said.
Experts from the integrated disease surveillance programme of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare also spoke in the meeting.
