Couple dies, their 3 children hospitalised after suicide bid in Gujarat
Sabarkantha (Gujarat), Apr 13 (PTI): A man and his wife died after they and their three teenaged children allegedly consumed a poisonous substance in an attempt to commit suicide in Gujarat's Sabarkantha district, police said on Sunday.
The exact reason behind the incident, which took place in Vadali town, was not yet clear, an official said.
The couple, their two sons and a daughter started vomiting on Saturday morning, following which some neighbours called an ambulance and the five family members were rushed to a private hospital for treatment, the official from Vadali police station said.
"From there, they were referred to the civil hospital in Himmatnagar around afternoon. The couple later died during treatment," he said.
A case of accidental death was registered at Vadali police station and further probe was being conducted to look into the reason for the extreme step, the official said.
The deceased have been identified as Vinu Sagar (42) and his wife Kokilaben (40). Their children -- 19-year-old daughter and sons aged 17 and 18 -- are under treatment, the police said.
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Maharashtra sets up state vaccination task force to strengthen immunisation programme
Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra government has set up a State Vaccination Task Force to strengthen the regular immunisation programme and review the progress of related campaigns, a health department official said on Monday.
The State Vaccination Task Force will comprise at least 29 members and will be headed by the administrative head of the health department, he informed.
The government has also constituted separate district-level and municipal vaccination task forces to improve implementation and address challenges at the grassroots level, he said.
Municipal task forces, chaired by respective civic commissioners, have been constituted in view of the vast urban population in Maharashtra and the role of civic bodies in implementing different health programmes.
The district-level task forces will function under the chairmanship of collectors.
"Complete immunisation of children at the appropriate age is an extremely simple, cost-effective and highly effective measure to reduce child mortality and the prevalence of diseases among kids. Immunisation is a powerful tool for reducing illness in children," maintained the official.
To ensure full vaccination of all children, the state government implements various campaigns from time to time as per the central government guidelines, he pointed out.
"Active participation and cooperation of other relevant government departments are essential (in making these campaigns successful)," according to the official.
The state-level body will review the regular immunisation programme, associated campaigns and vaccine-preventable diseases in detail. It will also conduct focused assessments of high-risk districts and municipal corporations, including vacancies at district, municipal and sub-district levels, availability of cold chain equipment, resource gaps and training requirements, he noted.
The state task force will review allocation and utilisation of funds for immunisation and ensure timely action by officers concerned based on reports from district and municipal task forces and state-level monitoring mechanisms, the official said.
It will also ensure active coordination and participation of other government departments in immunisation drives, while district and municipal task forces will carry out similar functions at their respective levels, the official added.
