Health minister Ranjan calls for organising health awareness campaigns at remote places

Imphal: Health awareness campaigns need to be organised at remote areas of the state, Manipur health minister Dr. Sapam Ranjan Singh has said on the occasion of observance of Global Iodine Deficiency Disorder Prevention Day, 2022 held at IMA hall, here on Friday.

“We have many observances in a calendar year and it goes on.  But we are not sure whether the people are actually benefited from it or not. We will need a targeted approach if such observances are to be made fruitful. We need a survey and collect data of the particular area and accordingly we may organize such programs on priority,” the minister said.

Primary health care system needs to be focused. Without strengthening primary health care which is at the grassroot level, tertiary health care system will hardly be able to be improved. The government is trying to improve overall health care system in the state, he added.

All the participants on such awareness programs should relay awareness and share knowledge with others which they have accumulated from it, he said. He appealed to all the concerned officers of the department to chalk out proper strategies based on the accumulated data.

Additional director, Public Health, Dr. Gopalkrishna said iodine deficiency may cause diseases related to thyroid, heart and diabetes etc. Consumption of iodized salt benefits human body in many ways. “We should take only iodized salt. We need to check the packet of the salt whether there is expiry date. If the salt packet is found expired, we should not take it.”

Dr. Somorjit Ningombam, State Mission director, NHM, Manipur, Dr Lourembam Ashananda, senior regional director, Health and Family Welfare, Government of India also graced the occasion. Officials and staffs of NHM, Health department and Family Welfare department and student nurses and others also attended the occasion.