Azad renames NICD to NCDC NICD COMPLETES A CENTURY

The Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare, Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad today renamed the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) to National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC). Speaking at the Centenary Celebration of the Centre here today, Shri Azad said “it is a change not only in the name, the NCDC will provide enhanced quality services in their current activities. In addition, it will play a more meaningful role in the development of public health policy framework, conducting risk factor surveys for non-communicable diseases and developing human resource in public health.”

The Health Minister announced that in the Eleventh Five Year Plan upgradation of NICD to National Centre for Disease Control has been taken up as a new initiative with the budgetary allocation of Rs. 510 crores for the plan duration for upgradation of infrastructure, modernization of equipments and augmenting the manpower of the Institute.

The Health Minister said that our country faces a peculiar dilemma of having to combat triple burden of the diseases. While there is an unfinished agenda of dealing effectively with common communicable diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis etc. there remains increasing problem of emerging infectious diseases. Over two dozen new disease causing agents have emerged in the preceding three decades, Shri Azad informed.

Speaking on the occasion Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Shri Dinesh Trivedi lauded the untiring efforts of the Institute to keep under firm control the diseases of public health. He said that increasing population and new diseases have made upgradation of the Institute a very important step. Minister of State Shri Gandhisalvan also said that epidemic intelligence services is the need of hour and time has come to upgrade our premier institutions like NICD.

Health Secretary, Shri Naresh Dayal said that NICD provides technical expertise and trained manpower for tackling challenges like H1N1. Mentioning the Integrated Disease Surveillance Project, Shri Dayal said that in the last two and a half years we have significantly strengthened our epidemic intelligence services. Director General of Health Services, Dr. R.K Srivastava said that with the strengthening of the Institute a more robust network to tackle health challenges will emerge. Earlier, the Institute Director and Special DG, Dr. Shivlal welcomed the participants and outlined the policies and achievements of the Institute over the last hundred years. Shri Azad also unveiled three plaques, commemorating the Institute’s contribution in eradication of Guinea Worm, Small Pox and Yaws.

DS/GK