Question : WATER BORNE DISEASES

(a)whether the Government has recently allocated Special Medical Fund for deploying a team of Doctors to provide medical facility to the people in flood affected States in the country;

(b)if so, the details thereof, State-wise;

(c)whether the diseases like malaria, water-borne diseases and cancer etc. have spreaded in States affected by flood and natural calamity;

(d)if so, the details of the existing medical arrangements and the assistance provided by the Union Government in this regard, State-wise;

(e)whether the Government proposes to make additional allocation for provfiding medical facility to the people suffering in the flood affected States; and

(f) if so, the State-wise details thereof?

THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR HEALTH & FAMILY WELFARE(SMT. PANABAKA LAKSHMI)

(a) & (b) Depending on the severity of natural calamity,Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India assist the State Government by deploying central medical teams.These teams are constituted from the existing strength of Central Government Institutions like Dr.RML Hospital, Safdarjung Hospital,Lady Hardinge Medical College and Associated Hospitals,Central Government Health Scheme etc.Hence it requires no special medical fund for expenditure.

(c) No outbreak of water borne diseases(cholera,diarrhoea,gastroenteritis,hepatitis) or vector borne diseases(malaria,dengue fever,kala-azar and Japanese encephalitis) have been reported from flood affected areas of Orissa and Bihar,the two States affected by flood this year.

(d) Contingency plans to deal with public health effects of floods are circulated to all States in the pre-monsoon season.The Emergency support Function plan of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare,for health sector,is regularly updated and circulated to the States.The plan delineates the human and material resource that would be deployed during disasters including floods.The medical teams are mobilized from Central Government hospitals and public health teams from public health institutions such as National Institute of Communicable Diseases, New Delhi, All India Institute of Hygiene and Public Health, Kolkata and Institutions under Indian Council of Medical Research.Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has rate contract for mobilizing the drugs and other medical supplies at short notice.

Recently,heavy floods were reported in Bihar and Orissa wherein the Cental Government provided logistic support in terms of emergency medicines, chlorine tablets, malathion,fogging machines, diagnostic kits,bed nets,bleaching powder etc. Bihar had the Central Public Health teams in place for over a month.

(e)& (f) Government of India provides assistance to the States affected by natural calamities and disasters as per norms of calamity Relief Fund (CRF) and National Calamity Contingency fund (NCCF).CRF is administered by Ministry of Home Affairs and funds are released in two installments to the States.The norms among others include provision of restoration of immediate nature of health facilities,supply of essential medicines, disinfectants,insecticides for prevention of outbreak of epidemics, replacement of damaged medical equipment and lost medicines of Government Hospitals/Health centres,operational cost for ambulance services,mobile medical teams and temporary dispensaries.This is assessed by State Level Committee or Central damage assessment team constituted by Ministry of Home Affairs in which Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is represented.The assistance is provided as per its recommendations.

The State-wise allocation of Calamity Relief Fund as per recommendations of the 12th Finance Commission is enclosed.