Ministry of Health and Family Welfare ends the year on a positive note

It is that part of the year, when one would like to take stock of the hits and misses. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) had some good hits. Here is a
selective list of MoHFW’s achievements.

Introduction of new vaccines

a) Rota virus vaccine: Rotavirus vaccine was introduced in Universal Immunization program in a four states — Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Odisha, and Andhra Pradesh– in April 2016 as recommended by the Expert Committee constituted for the same. This was done with the aim of preventing the morbidity and mortality in children due to rotavirus.

b) Adult JE vaccine:  Japanese Encephalitis (JE) vaccination was expanded in adult population of districts with high disease burden of adult JE. Further, 21 high burden districts from Assam, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal have been identified for adult JE vaccination. Adult JE vaccination campaign activity has been completed in 3 districts of Assam (Darrang, Nagaon and Sonitpur) and selected blocks of 3 districts (Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar) of West Bengal and campaign is ongoing in selected blocks of 6 districts of Uttar Pradesh.

Mission Indradhanush

• The Integrated Child Health and Immunization Survey 2016 shows that full immunization coverage has increased by about 5-7% after the launch of mission Indradhanush.

• As on August 1, 2016, nearly 2.08 crore children have been vaccinated of which 54.5 lakh children have been fully immunized. In addition, 55.4 lakh pregnant women were vaccinated against tetanus toxoid.

Centre for Integrative Medicine and Research (CIMR) at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS)

The Center for Integrative Medicine and Research (CIMR) is a pioneering initiative by AIIMS, New Delhi. This institute explores convergence of contemporary medicine
with India’s ancient and traditional medical practices. It has been envisioned as a “state of the art” research center where top experts from various disciplines of
contemporary medicine will collaborate with Yoga and Ayurveda specialists, both for disease treatment, and for preventive healthcare. The Center will seek scientific
validation of our ancient medicine systems with a focus on Yoga. It has been designed as a perfect platform for rigorous research to establish the efficacy of our
traditional methods of healing, which in turn should pave the way for their greater international scientific acceptability.