Jay Bhattacharya confirmed as Director of US National Institutes of Health
Washington: The US Senate has confirmed Indian-origin professor Jay Bhattacharya as the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Bhattacharya, a professor at Stanford School of Medicine, secured the position with a 53-47 vote during the first session of the roll call vote in the 119th Congress.
Bhattacharya, known for his expertise in health policy and economics, has been a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research and a senior fellow at multiple Stanford institutions. He co-authored the Great Barrington Declaration, an alternative to lockdowns proposed in 2020.
Following his confirmation, US Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell expressed confidence in Bhattacharya’s leadership, citing his extensive background in medical research. Bhattacharya will work alongside US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to strengthen the NIH’s role in medical research.
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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.
