Jajpur: Health and Family Welfare Minister, Dr. Mukesh Mahaling, along with senior state officers and central teams, today conducted an extensive inspection of the diarrhea situation in the affected areas of Anandpur sub-division, spanning Jajpur and Keonjhar districts. The visit aimed to assess the ground realities and ensure effective implementation of control measures.
Accompanied by Jajpur MP Shri Rabindra Narayan Behera, Badachana MLA Shri Amar Nayak, Koreai MLA Shri Akashdash Nayak, and Dharmashala MLA Shri Himanshu Shekhar Sahu, Dr. Mahaling visited affected areas in Jajpur district. He directly interacted with residents and inquired about the well-being of patients at Badachana, Dharmashala, Madhuban, Jajpur Road Group Health Centers, and the District Head Hospital.
Following the field visit, the Minister convened a detailed review meeting with key officials including Public Health Director Dr. Nilakant Mishra, Health Services Director Dr. Amarendra Mohanty, Food Security Director Dr. Shakti Prasad Mishra, District Collector P. Anvesha Reddy, members of the three central teams, District Chief Medical Officers, medical college professors, experts, and other field officers.
During the review of the situation in Blocks and Panchayats, Dr. Mahaling issued strict instructions to Public Health Department engineers to ensure regular treatment of every drinking water source. He also emphasized the importance of treating tube wells and water tanks in school premises before the reopening of schools.
Furthermore, the Minister directed field staff of the Health and Family Welfare Department to conduct door-to-door visits to identify diarrhea patients at the earliest stage. They were instructed to provide necessary medicines, ORS packets, and initial treatment, while advising patients to seek hospital care. The District Administration was tasked with launching extensive awareness programs through field activities and social media.
The Central Health Team, present at the meeting, offered preliminary observations, affirming that the state government’s program for diarrhea prevention and control is progressing in the right direction, with necessary steps being taken on a war footing at every level. Dr. Mahaling further advised state and central level food security and health teams to conduct separate visits to different locations and continue their inspection and monitoring work.
Later in the day, the Health Minister visited the affected areas of Anandpur sub-division in Keonjhar, where he assessed the field situation and held a review meeting with Keonjhar District Magistrate Shri Visahl Singh, District Chief Medical Officer, Public Health Officer, Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water Supply Department Engineer, senior officers of the District Head Hospital, and experts. He provided suggestions for expanding prevention and control measures for diarrhea in the region.
According to the latest data, Special Secretary of Health Services Dr. Mohapatra informed that a significant improvement in the diarrhea situation has been observed. Notably, no diarrhea-related deaths were reported today, and the number of diarrhea-infected admissions in hospitals has also decreased significantly. Public Health Director Dr. Mishra provided an update on Jajpur district, stating that a total of 1771 infected persons have been admitted to various hospitals so far. Of these, 1508 individuals have recovered and returned home, while 258 are currently undergoing treatment. Five diarrhea-related deaths have been confirmed after testing, and investigations into five more suspected deaths are underway.