Labs to deal with epidemics, natural disasters vital: Panel

A parliamentary panel today expressed concern over the government's "underperformance" in establishing laboratories to deal with epidemics and natural disasters and recommended creation of a special fund to speed up the response time in such scenarios.
The Committee on Demands for Grants 2015-16 on the Department of Health Research said a network of laboratories is vital for the country in the wake of recent outbreaks of diseases like Swine Flu, Chikunguniya etc.
The panel's remark has come in the wake of the recent outbreak of swine flu which has claimed more than 2,000 lives and affected another 35,000 across the country.

The Health Ministry has proposed to establish 10 regional labs, 30 state labs, and 120 medical college-level labs for timely diagnosis and management of viral epidemics and new viral infections at an estimated cost of Rs 646.83 crore.
"With this pace of performance, it is difficult to understand how the target would be achieved. The department needs to do some serious introspection to look into the cause for not meeting the target," the Committee noted, while asking the Department of Health Research to draw an action plan to meet the targets.
The Committee also pitched for creation of a 'revolving fund' for rapid reponse to infectious diseases and natural or man-made disastor.

"The creation of such a fund will facilitate a rapid mobilisation of response to outbreak of infectious diseases and natural or man-made disastor," the committee headed by Satish Chandra Misra said.