New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
on Thursday expressed anguish over spurt in polio cases in Uttar
Pradesh and Bihar and directed the Health Ministry to closely
monitor the situation and take effective steps to eradicate
the disease.
The Prime Minister's observation came at a meeting of
the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), which
decided to continue the Polio Eradication Strategy for three
more years from now at an estimated cost of Rs 3,204 crore.
The number of polio cases had "dropped dramatically" to
66 in 2005. However, the outbreak of the disease in Western
UP and some parts of Bihar contributed to the new cases. The
total number went up to 676 in 2006, 874 in 2007 and 559 in
2008, Home Minister P Chidambaram told reporters here.
Expressing concern over the spurt, the Prime Minister
directed the Health Ministry to pay special attention to UP
and Bihar and ensure "very close" monitoring of the situation,
the Minister said after the meeting.
"It is a matter of concern. This strategy must be very
closely monitored by the Centre by paying special attention to
these two states. Why was it not a success in UP and Bihar,"
he said, adding that the eradication programme was already
behind by five years.
"We have to eliminate it. We cannot have children
afflicted by polio especially when the medicine is there. Gaps
exist in the delivery mechanism," Chidambaram said.
Bureau Report
First Published: Thursday, August 20, 2009, 18:29