Latest news with #RodericoH.Ofrin
The Hindu
4 days ago
- Business
- The Hindu
Government plans to wind down National Polio Surveillance Network centres in India
The government has proposed to wind down, in phases, the World Health Organization (WHO)-established National Polio Surveillance Network (NPSN), currently a countrywide network of over 200 units. Experts in the field have commented that the move would be premature and ill-advised at this stage, with India's neighbouring countries still harbouring cases of polio. Staff at the NPSN centres have received a communication from the WHO's representative in India, Roderico H. Ofrin, advising them of an upcoming transition initiated by the government. The transition involves a gradual drawdown of the NPSN units each year — from approximately 280 units in 2024-25 down to 190 in 2025-26, and further to 140 in 2026-27. This is also linked with a corresponding reduction in financial support from the government, according to the communique. The process of transition will begin in June. 'We are not disbanding teams overnight or winding down the network haphazardly; rather, specific units will phase out at set intervals as government systems ramp up and absorb these functions,' Dr. Ofrin said. This will help us ensure that, at any given time, critical surveillance activities continue with minimal or no gaps, he said. While he assured the staff of the NPSN that this would help retain critical surveillance activities, at some point, polio surveillance would be subsumed within the Integrated Diseases Surveillance Programme. But the proposed winding down of a key unit, at a time when global resurgence of polio has been reported, has not gone down well, with either staffers or public health experts. India was declared polio-free in 2014, after three years of no case caused by wild polio virus transmission. The gains came after a full-frontal attack launched on polio, through years of coordinated work and oral polio immunisation campaigns, with a number of organisations collaborating. Jacob John, prominent virologist and vaccine expert, who has been actively involved in polio eradication efforts, including as a member on the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation, said he was 'horrified' by the move. 'The world has lots of polio still. It is way too early to upset our current 'steady state',' he added. He pointed out that Afghanistan and Pakistan continued to have polio cases, and that it is too close for comfort, also pointing to the danger of vaccine-derived polio virus. 'For every type 1 wild virus polio in Pakistan, there are about 10-12 circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus polio cases, mostly type 2, globally. After April 2016, we have not immunised children against type 2. In case vaccine derived polio virus is imported into India, widespread transmission and polio cases by the dozen are expected,' Dr. John said. A long-time campaigner for injectable polio vaccines (IPVs), Dr. John suggests that India should first replace oral polio vaccine (OPV) with IPV. After one year, all OPV can be withdrawn. Then, one year later, we can look at dismounting the watch. 'If surveillance is diluted now, we become sitting ducks for the resurgence of polio due to circulating VDPV, type 2 most likely, and type 1 less likely,' Dr. John said. Dr. Ofrin's letter also touches upon job security for existing staff, but the polio surveillance medical officers in the country under the Special Services Agreement, said it's not at all reassuring. 'Each centre has at least four employees. Imagine the number of people who won't have a job,' one doctor said, speaking on condition of anonymity. He also said that, since 2014, the NPSN had been functioning as a unit of the Central government, which expanded the role of the staff to conduct surveillance for measles and rubella, DPT (diphtheria, pertussis or whooping cough, and tetanus), child vaccination, and training the health workforce every time a new vaccine was introduced. He pointed out that there seemed to be no rationale in shutting down these particular centres. 'Vaccine-preventable diseases are a critical area; the country's progress should not be compromised at this stage,' he said.
Hans India
20-05-2025
- Health
- Hans India
TN doctors urge WHO to intervene on staffing and pay disparities
The Legal Coordination Committee for Government Doctors (LCC), a Tamil Nadu-based organisation, has appealed to the World Health Organisation (WHO) to intervene and urge the State government to address persistent issues of staff shortages and salary disparities affecting government doctors. In a letter to Dr. Roderico H. Ofrin, the WHO Representative to India, LCC president Perumal Pillai acknowledged Tamil Nadu's notable achievements in public healthcare, particularly in reducing maternal and infant mortality rates - milestones that align with WHO's Sustainable Development Goals. The State, with a population exceeding 80 million, has already achieved a maternal mortality rate (MMR) of 39 per one lakh live births - a target the WHO set for 2030, attained by Tamil Nadu a decade early. The representation also noted the State's advances in rural healthcare delivery and non-communicable disease management. However, the LCC president highlighted that these successes have come at a heavy cost to the medical personnel who made them possible. The organisation expressed alarm over inadequate recruitment in public hospitals, resulting in overburdened doctors and strained healthcare delivery. "This crisis impacts not only doctors but also the general public," the letter stated. The LCC pointed out that government doctors in Tamil Nadu receive some of the lowest salaries in the country. It cited a pay gap of nearly Rs 40,000 between MBBS doctors in Tamil Nadu and their counterparts in other States. Despite recommendations from the National Medical Commission to ensure parity with doctors in central institutions such as AIIMS, and a Tamil Nadu High Court directive upholding Government Order 354, which mandates salary revisions, the State government has failed to implement the necessary changes, the organisation alleged. Of further concern, the LCC claimed that government doctors in Tamil Nadu face one of the highest early mortality rates in the country. While the average life expectancy of the general population is estimated between 69 and 72 years, the life expectancy of government doctors reportedly ranges between 55 and 59 years. Citing these concerns, the LCC urged the WHO to impress upon the Tamil Nadu government the urgent need to address staffing shortfalls and enforce fair pay structures as per national guidelines and existing legal orders.
The Hindu
20-05-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
Tamil Nadu government doctors seek WHO intervention on staffing and pay disparities
The Legal Coordination Committee for Government Doctors (LCC), an organisation based in Tamil Nadu, has urged the World Health Organisation (WHO) to intervene and impress upon the government of Tamil Nadu to immediately address longstanding grievances concerning staffing shortages and salary disparities among government doctors in the State. In a representation addressed to Roderico H. Ofrin, the WHO representative in India, Perumal Pillai, president of the LCC, drew attention to Tamil Nadu's commendable achievements in the public health sector, many of which aligned with WHO-recommended frameworks and goals. Tamil Nadu, with a population of over 80 million, has been at the forefront of reducing maternal and infant mortality rates. The maternal mortality rate (MMR) currently stands at 39 per one lakh live births, a target set by the WHO for 2030— achieved by the State a full decade in advance. The representation said Tamil Nadu has also taken notable strides in strengthening rural health services and managing non-communicable diseases. However, these advancements, it contended, have come at a high cost to the doctors who made them possible. The organisation expressed concern over the lack of proportional recruitment in government hospitals - with existing medical personnel being overburdened. 'Not only doctors, but the public are also affected by this crisis,' the letter said. Government doctors in Tamil Nadu, according to the LCC, are paid among the lowest salaries in the country. It cited a disparity of ₹40,000 between salaries of MBBS doctors in Tamil Nadu and those in other States. Despite recommendations by the National Medical Commission that State government doctors be paid on a par with those at central institutions such as AIIMS, and a directive from the High Court upholding Government Order 354— which mandates salary revisions— the State government failed to act, the organisation alleged. It claimed government doctors in Tamil Nadu face the highest mortality at a young age among states in India. While the average life expectancy of the general public in Tamil Nadu is 69–72 years, that of government doctors ranges between 55–59, the letter claimed. Citing these concerns, it requested the WHO to urge the government to ensure appropriate staffing in hospitals and implement salary parity in accordance with the relevant government orders and national recommendations.
