New Delhi: Union Health Minister JP Nadda on Monday launched the National STOP Diarrhoea Campaign 2024 aiming to attain zero child deaths due to childhood diarrhoea. The campaign involves a two-month long drive with pre-positioning of 2 ORS packets and zinc as a co-packaging for under-5 children.
“If our healthcare workers could reach the remotest corners of the country and administer 220 crore doses of Covid vaccines, I am sure that our frontline healthcare workers can create the same robust delivery mechanism during STOP Diarrhoea Campaign too," said Nadda.
The goal behind the STOP Diarrhoea Campaign 2024 is to attain zero child deaths due to childhood diarrhoea. While the existing diarrhoea strategy entailed a two-week campaign with pre-positioning of ORS to under-5 children and limited IEC, the new strategy involves a two-month long campaign with pre-positioning of two ORS packets and zinc as a co-packaging to under-5 children.
It will also involve extensive IEC through different platforms and collaboration across multiple sectors, including health, water and sanitation, education and rural development.
“There is a unique relationship between Mission Indradhanush, the Rotavirus vaccine and this STOP Diarrhoea Campaign as all were amongst the first initiatives launched during my earlier tenure as the Health Minister. Various initiatives taken by the Union Government has cumulatively helped in reducing childhood mortality due to diarrhoea,” he said.
Nadda highlighted that in 2014, India was the first country to introduce the Rotavirus vaccine. Similarly, the National Jal Jeevan Mission, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and expansion of the Ayushman Arogya Mandir network have significantly contributed to the reduction of diarrhoea cases and mortality in the country.
Nadda also emphasised the importance of sensitising health workers, along with enhancing capacity-building efforts, to strengthen diarrhoea management efforts in India.
Noting that “only healthy children lead to a healthy nation”, Minister of State for Health Jadhav Prataprao Ganpatrao emphasised that more efforts should be put in place to prevent diarrhoea in the first place. He also urged the officials to focus on cleanliness and setting diarrhoea prevention targets in addition to providing ORS and zinc tablets to children.
The campaign’s 2024 slogan, “Diarrhoea ki Roktham, Safai aur ORS se rakhen apna dhyaan”, highlights the significance of prevention, cleanliness and appropriate treatment.
The STOP Diarrhoea Campaign will be implemented in two phases: The preparatory phase will continue till June 30 and the campaign phase from July 1 to August 31, 2024.
Key activities during this period include the distribution of ORS and Zinc co-packages by ASHA workers to households with children under five, setting up ORS-Zinc corners at health facilities and Anganwadi centres and intensifying advocacy and awareness efforts for effective diarrhoea management. Additionally, the campaign will strengthen service provision for diarrhoea case management to ensure comprehensive care and prevention.
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