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PMC may delay deworming campaign due to medicine shortage
PMC is expected to delay the state-wide deworming campaign scheduled for December 4 due to shortage of albendazole tablets, officials said
PUNE: The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) is expected to delay the state-wide deworming campaign scheduled for December 4 due to shortage of albendazole tablets, officials said.
The deworming campaign is slated to be conducted across 17 districts of Maharashtra on December 4 with a mop-up round scheduled on December 10. In Pune district, the district health officer and Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) have already received the stock of medicines for the campaign. However, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has not yet received the stock of medicines.
A senior officer from the health department on condition of anonymity said, “The PMC and PCMC were supposed to receive the drug supply from Mumbai. However, samples of the tablets in Mumbai failed to meet the required standards as per the laboratory reports. This has caused a statewide shortage of medicines and priority will be given to areas with tribal populations if the medicine stock is made available.”
As part of the campaign, around 4.50 lakh children aged one to 19 years in Pune city, 1.50 lakh children in Pune Rural, and 1.70 lakh children in Pimpri-Chinchwad will be administered albendazole tablets, said officials.
Dr Nina Borade, health chief of the PMC, said, “We have not received any stock of medicines due to some quality issue with the medicines in Mumbai. The health department is trying to source medicines from Telangana. We hope that the medicines will be received at the earliest. In case of failure to get the medicines on time, we will be forced to postpone the campaign for Pune city. However, all other arrangements have been made for the campaign and the department is prepared for the drive.”
Dr Laxman Gophane, health chief of the PCMC, said that earlier, they were asked to get medicines from Mumbai but later, the health department asked them to collect medicines from Buldhana. “We have an eligible population of 1.70 lakh children in the Pimpri-Chinchwad area. A stock of 1.90 lakh tablets has been received by us and the campaign in Pimpri-Chinchwad will be held as per schedule,” he said.
Dr Nagnath Yempalay said that for Pune Rural, a stock of 1.60 lakh tablets has been received by them from Buldhana. Similar to the PCMC, they too were supposed to get the medicines from Mumbai but the health department later changed the source of supply. Teachers, Anganwadi workers and ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activists) workers were trained to administer the tablets to children. “Besides, ASHA workers and other health staff will create awareness and mobilise children to be dewormed on that day,” he said.
