Guwahati: With Japanese Encephalitis (JE) fatalities rising in Assam, state health minister Ashok Singhal said it was not possible to rein in JE overnight. He also cautioned that the “virus spreads in deep forest and jungle areas”, suggesting vaccination as the main form of protection.
Singhal made these comments at the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) in Guwahati, during his visit to the state’s largest hospital on Wednesday, days after assuming charge as the health minister.
JE deaths at GMCH have reached six this month, and more patients are likely to be infected by the JE virus as the peak JE period nears in July. However, the state health department has not revealed the JE figures for the entire state, which is suspected to be increasing across several districts.
“JE spreads every year during its season. Govt or human beings have no control over it,” Singhal told the media, adding that the govt is concentrating on testing to identify the JE virus. “JE cases are mostly reported in forests and jungles where human beings, pigs, birds and mosquitoes live together. People living in such interior areas must use mosquito nets,” he advised.
Singhal stated that, in practical terms, the govt has limited alternatives to contain JE, although he said fogging and vaccination campaigns are being conducted. So far this season, among the 13 JE patients admitted to GMCH, six have died this month, five have been discharged, and two are still hospitalised. The most recent death was on Tuesday, when a 61-year-old JE-positive woman from Jalah village in lower Assam passed away.
At GMCH, Singhal carried out a thorough inspection and review, looking into multiple departments, patient care arrangements, infrastructure upgrades, and the hospital’s overall medical services.
During the visit, the minister went through several major units of the hospital, such as the outpatient department, the super-speciality, and the mother and child wings. He also spoke with patients receiving treatment and their relatives, collecting their views on the standard of care, facilities available, and the general hospital setting.
He underlined that GMCH serves not only as a vital facility for Assam but also as a dependable centre for millions throughout the Northeast. Singhal said that more than 3,200 patients attend OPDs at GMCH each day and that this strain would ease once healthcare services improve in outlying areas. “Our effort will be to improve healthcare service in Guwahati’s periphery so that we can offer better facilities to patients who need critical care here in CMCH. As patient number increases, quality reduces,” he added.
Dr P Ashok Babu, Commissioner and Secretary of the Health and Family Welfare Department, Dr Siddhartha Singh, Commissioner and Secretary of the Medical Education and Research Department, Dr Achyut Kumar Baishya, Principal-cum-Chief Superintendent of GMCH, Dr Manoj Kumar Choudhury, Director of Medical Education, and Dr Devajit Choudhury, medical Superintendent of GMCH, were present during the inspection.
