National programme for deaf in eight Odisha districts this year

Sambad English Bureau Published On : Apr 13, 2015 at 11:22 PM

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Bhubaneswar, Apr 13:

The Centre has decided to launch the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Deafness (NPPCD) in eight districts of Odisha this year.

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The programme is to be launched in Cuttack, Ganjam, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Khordha, Koraput, Mayurbhanj and Sambalpur districts in the first phase. It will have provision for infrastructure upgradation for prevention, early diagnosis and treatment of people at peripheral health institutions.

As per a study by the World Health Organisation, (WHO), around 6.3 crore people suffer from significant auditory impairment, including complete deafness in India, which is 6.3 per cent of the population. A survey report of the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) says there are around 291 hearing impaired persons per one lakh population in the country.

While around 300 persons per one lakh population suffer from hearing impairment in Odisha, 3.8 per cent new patients are added to the population every year.

It has been found that a majority of patients in Odisha are children in the age group of 0-14, which is a major concern for the state in terms of physical and economic productivity.

Under the programme, the health facilities would be upgraded at the Primary Health Centres (PHCs) Community Health Centres (CHCs) and District Headquarters Hospitals (DHHs) to deal with auditory impairment and diseases. Besides, screening of patients at the community level will be conducted to create awareness among the people, doctors and the health workers.

The programme will be implemented with financial assistance from both the Centre and the state government as per the norms of the National Health Mission (NHM).

The programme, which was launched in 2007 on a pilot basis in 25 districts in 11 states and Union Territories, has been expanded to 192 districts in 20 states in the 11th Five Year Plan. This year, the Centre has decided to expand the programme to 200 districts and cover the entire country by 2017, official sources said.

For implementation of the programme, the state government has entrusted Prof Subrat Behera, head, Department of ENT of SCB Medical College and Hospital, as technical advisor and Dr PKB Patnaik, State Nodal Officer of National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke (NPCDCS), as the Nodal Officer for NPPCD.