The two-day sector-wise meetings for local body heads and people’s representatives to draw up the regional priorities in the health sector for the 2015-16 fiscal will begin in the district on Saturday.
There will be three such meetings in the district at Koyilandy, Kunnamangalam, and Kozhikode.
The meetings are convened on the basis of a Statewide direction issued by the Chief Minister on February 13.
According to officials, the main purpose of the conference is to effectively review the actions taken in the health sector for the prevention of communicable diseases. It will also finalise the regional priorities in the sector after discussion with the people’s representatives.
Since the district faces severe challenges in addressing the rabid dog menace, heads of various local bodies from here are likely to place their collective demands at the meetings to seek effective intervention from the State government.
Shortage of serum
The severe shortage of anti rabies serum and vaccine too will be a topic of active discussion in the light of the recent incidents of stray dog bites.
“For the past several years, the government has been focussing completely on preventing various communicable diseases. But, now it is time for a change and give a little more focus on rabies prevention programmes and control the rabid dog menace,” said a health activist from the district who brought the issue before various local bodies here.
Threat
He said the rabies virus would definitely become a threat to the district if the Health and Veterinary Departments treated the issue casually and made did with the limited facilities.
P. Aboobacker, president of the Chelannur block panchayat, said the shortage of anti rabies serum was emerging as a serious problem in the district.
The serum is out of stock in almost all government hospitals in the villages.
“Even though the panchayats are willing to invest and purchase the serum for the hospitals, there are several legal hurdles before us,” he said.
Revision of rules
According to Mr. Aboobacker, the local bodies have been seeking a revision of the existing rules in the sector, which disallow purchase of medicines by grama panchayats for catering to the regional requirements of hospitals in their limits.
“The Kerala Medical Service Corporation is handling the entire operations now. It is struggling hard to cater to the actual requirements. We will raise these issues again at the sector meeting,” he said.
Meet to review steps to curb contagious diseases
Rabid dog menace to be discussed
