Punjab has expressed keen commitment for Malaria Elimination by 2020, state Principal Secretary, Health, Vini Mahajan said on Tuesday. Mahajan said that National Framework for Malaria Elimination (NFME 2016-2030) has been launched with the goal to eliminate malaria from the country by 2030, however, being a category I state, Punjab aspires to become Malaria free by 2020, itself. “Punjab has seen a decline of 80 percent in the number of total malaria cases since 2010 and the decline has been witnessed in all districts of the state,” she said.
She told that Malaria has been declared as a notified disease in the State so that the public as well as private health institutions have to report each suspected and confirm case of Malaria to the Department of Health and Family Welfare. “Punjab is also the first State in the country to use Malaria Treatment Card to ensure supervised and complete treatment of each case of Malaria. The testing of Malaria with microscopy is done free of cost in all the Government Hospitals and the treatment of Malaria is also provided free of cost to the patients in the State,” said Mahajan.