Govt to open NCDC in each state for effective outbreak surveillance
The Union government has decided to establish a branch of Delhi-based National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) in each state for effective outbreak surveillance and improved response time, people familiar with the matter said.
“This is meant to strengthen disease surveillance in every state as everything should not come to the central level,” said SK Singh, director, NCDC. “The move not just improve surveillance efforts but also boost response time and measures including diagnostic capacities.”
Currently, there are 33 disease conditions that are already being monitored at the national level, Singh said. “We also need to monitor new and emerging diseases that require a robust surveillance system. When dealing with an outbreak, time is of essence, which we will be able to save if there are adequately equipped centres available locally,” he added.
At present, there are eight functional branches of NCDC and the Centre is planning to establish 22 more branches.
Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya on September 7 laid the foundation stone for six new branches, which are going to be fully functional in next two-three years.
“Disease surveillance plays a crucial part in disease prevention, control and management. Towards this end the regional branches of NCDC will pay a pivotal part,” Mandaviya had said during the ceremony. “They will provide a boost to public health infrastructure with prompt surveillance, rapid detection and monitoring of diseases thereby enabling early interventions.”
The Centre, under Prime Minister- Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission, has approved ₹64,000 crore for various health infrastructure projects. The six new branches are being built in Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Kerala, Maharashtra, Tripura and Uttar Pradesh.
“The present Covid-19 pandemic has shown us the importance of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases which cannot only cause localised outbreaks but can also lead to a pandemic. NCDC branches in the states and UTs will support the State Govts in timely disease surveillance and monitoring. These will enable early warning leading to timely intervention based on evidence gathered from the field,” said the minister.
The state branches will coordinate with NCDC headquarter in New Delhi with real time sharing of data and information aided by cutting edge technology. NCDC branches would also be crucial in ensuring timely availability of updated guidelines so that accurate scientifically backed information can be disseminated easily.
The current branches will also be repurposed and together they will perform integrated disease surveillance activities, focusing on anti-microbial resistance, multi-sectoral and entomological investigations (pertaining to insects) etc.
The health minister also inaugurated the NCDC laboratory block-1, the residential complex and the research lab of the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme.
NCDC laboratory block will house state-of-the-art testing and referral laboratories for bacterial, viral, fungal and parasitic diseases of public health concern.
It is equipped with 50 high-capacity laboratories — 30 bio-safety level-3 laboratories, five RT-PCR laboratories and 15 other laboratories. The laboratories will be designed to not only offer testing facilities, but also to provide hands-on training, capacity building, and quality assurance services to the entire network of laboratories across the country.
“There has been a shift from “token” to “total” approach where States are our partners in the spirit of collaborative and cooperative federalism to ensure quality, affordable and accessible healthcare to all,” said the health minister.