PGIMER Starts Swatch Indira Colony Abhiyan at Indira Colony

By 121 News
Chandigarh 28th Jan, 2019:- A two week drive of Swatch Indira colony
Abhiyan under Swatch Bharat Abhiyan commenced at Indira Colony,
Manumajra that is being organized by the urban Health Training Center,
Department of Community Medicine and school of Public Health ,
PGIMER, Chandigarh.Since 2016, PGIMER is conducting Swatch Indira
Colony Abhiyaan under the guidance of Prof J S Thakur, Professor
,Department of Community Medicine and School of Public Health, PGIMER
with the objective to clean the colony and reduce the disease burden.
Dr Har Ashish Jindal Senior Resident, Dr Atul Gupta, Junior resident
and Multipurpose Health workers organized a rally to mark the
occasion with a theme " Swatch colony swasat colony." The rally nearly
had 100 persons with community leaders, Multipurpose Health workers,
Anganwadi workers, sanitary workers, and local residents. In India,
Diarrhea is the third most common cause of death in under-five
children, responsible for 13% deaths, killing an estimated 300,000
childreneach year. Washing hands with soap can reduce the risk of
diarrheal diseases by 42-47%. Improved sanitation can reduce rates of
diarrhoeal diseases by 32%–37%. The resident feel threatened with
diseases such as diarrhoea, pneumonia, cholera, typhoid which are
preventable.
Indira colony has a population of nearly 30,000. And in 2017, 20,912
patients seen at the urban health centre with 843 cases of diarrhea
and 86 cases of acute lower respiratory diseases in children 0-5 yrs.
During rally, Dr Har Ashish Jindal emphasized on prevention of
diseases is possible only with adequate sanitation is a must.
Messages were given during the rally the house hold waste in the
dustbins, hand hygiene after urinals and going to toilet and before
eating food is a must. The health of the society is the responsibility
of the individuals living in it. The family must teach behaviour of
putting garbage in the dustbins. The first week programme will focus
on to improve street cleaning, cleaning of railway dumps, improve
awareness of best practices in sanitation in parents teacher meeting
and motivate individuals to clean their homes and institutions. The
second week will focus on getting support from government officials
for the Swatch Indira Colony Abhiyan to clear out a major garbage dump
behind Shiv mandir, Indira Colony. It is expected that disease burden
will decrease with adequate safe water and sanitation.