New Delhi (NVI): The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and World Health Organization (WHO) have joined hands to initiate a systematic engagement of WHO’s national polio surveillance network, and other field staff, for COVID-19 response.
The initiative comes in order to tap into the best practices and key resources that helped India win its war against polio.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has welcomed the world health body’s cooperation with India to leverage strategies to help the country win its war against COVID-19 outbreak, saying such joint efforts will help defeat the pandemic.
The WHO’s national polio surveillance network will be engaged to strengthen COVID-19 surveillance and its field staff will continue to support immunisation and elimination of tuberculosis and other diseases.
“Time and again the Government of India and WHO together have shown our ability, competence and prowess to the whole world. With our combined meticulous work, done with full sincerity and dedication, we were able to get rid of polio,”Harsh Vardhan, Minister of Health and Family Welfare said.
He further added, “Today I would like to remind you of your potential and ability, and the big things we can do together. All of you in the field – IDSP, state rapid response teams and WHO – are our ‘surveillance corona warriors’. With your joint efforts we can defeat the coronavirus and save lives.”
Harsh Vardhan, along with Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director, WHO South-East Asia, was addressing WHO and other field staff, simultaneously connected from over 1,000 sites all over the country – from capital cities to the remotest corners.
Singh said the National Polio Surveillance Project (WHO-NPSP) played a critical role in strengthening surveillance for polio that generated useful, timely and accurate data to guide policies, strategies and interventions until transmission of the poliovirus was interrupted in the country.
