K'taka minister urged to make mandatory for govt doctors to write prescriptions in Kannada
Bengaluru, Sep 9: Kannada Development Authority on Monday urged Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao to issue an order making it mandatory for doctors working in all government health centres and hospitals to write prescriptions in the state's official language.
KDA chairperson Purushotham Bilimale also suggested felicitating doctors every year on Doctors' Day at taluk, district and state-level in recognition of their love for Kannada and "their activities in favour of the language." In a letter to Rao, Bilimale asked the minister to create an atmosphere where Kannada-loving doctors working in private hospitals and their heads too are encouraged to use the language.
"This will be of great help in the progress of Kannada language, and I hereby request you to pay attention in this regard," he said in the letter.
Noting that recently during an official visit to Raichur he had motivated government doctors to write prescriptions in Kannada, and had directed the Deputy Commissioner there to issue necessary instructions in this regard, the KDA chief said, "After reading about it in the media, hundreds of doctors voluntarily have expressed to me that they will start writing prescriptions in Kannada to save the language." He said several of them have even shared with him prescriptions written by them in Kannada.
"If government doctors working in health centres, taluk and district hospitals across the state give priority to Kannada while writing prescriptions, it will be a major step towards protecting Kannada identity," Bilimale said, adding that if it is not made mandatory, expected progress cannot be achieved in its implementation. The state government's strong stand will play a key role in this.
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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.
