State Health and Family Welfare Minister Naba Kishore Das has requested Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan in a letter to consider non-shifting of the Malaria Research Centre of Rourkela to Ranchi. During 1988, a field unit of ICMR was established at Rourkela in the name of "Malaria Research Centre" by the Central Government for field research on malaria, develop and demonstrate appropriate malaria control methods along with study of socioeconomic factors influencing malaria in Sundargarh and surrounding tribals-dominated districts with large forest cover and hilly terrain areas.
The institute was doing a commendable work along with providing evidences to the State malaria control programmes. It has up-scaled the use of LLIN and Larvivorous fish. Due to this, Odisha has recorded a drastic decline in malaria cases in major parts of the State in accordance with the Centre’s goal to eliminate malaria hundred per cent.
In this situation, Minister Das has requested Dr Harsh Bardhan to consider for non-shifting of the Malaria Research Centre from Rourkela to Ranchi. Such a decision would create a huge gap in malaria eradication work in western and northern districts of the State, he has pointed out.