Though three people died of malaria recently, Chhattisgarh Health Minister Shyam Bihari Jaiswal has explained that Bastar district has become a panchayat of other districts in the nation to effectively combat the scourge of Malaria.
In response to the media, the minister admitted three deaths were caused by malaria in the state, but emphasized that the government is dedicated toward saving lives from malaria down the road.
Jaiswal stated that Bastar was a malaria-prone area in the past, but the Malaria-Free Chhattisgarh Campaign has seen impressive efforts in the region. He said the success is due to the systematic home survey, early testing, early treatment, vector control and mass awareness campaign.
The malaria positivity rate has reduced from 4.60% to 0.48%, and the Annual Parasite Incidence (API) has decreased from 5.21 to 0.90 in Bastar, the minister said.
He further said that by 2025 the number of cases had significantly decreased from 2015 and that the Government has distributed 1.697 million insecticide-treated mosquito nets in hotspot areas to boost malaria prevention.
Jaiswal also gave mention of better healthcare access in Bastar due to reduction in the Naxal violence. With the backing of the Chief Minister’s Health Bastar Campaign, health personnel have managed to touch the lives of more than 3.4 crore people, and referred over 60,000 patients to higher medical centres and 10,000 pregnant women have been identified for specialised care.
The minister also added that over the last two years, one thousand doctors have been recruited which would help in the reduction of maternal mortality rate from 142 to 122 in the state.