Union Minister Lays Foundation Stone For NCDC’s Odisha Branch

Bhubaneswar: Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Dr Mansukh Mandaviya on Tuesday laid the foundation stone for NCDC’s branches in 6 states including Odisha, regional branch in Assam and BSL-3 labs in 2 states.

Inaugurating the branches virtually at the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) in New Delhi, Mandaviya said the regional branches of NCDC will help in combating diseases with regional variations like CCHF, KFD, Scrub typhus. Further, state branches and BSL-3 laboratory will augment the capacity of region/state for preparedness and response especially for outbreak prone diseases by high-risk pathogens.

“The health infrastructure facilities inaugurated today, or for those whose foundation stone has been laid, will substantially boost our regional, district and block level healthcare infrastructure and further augment the surveillance, diagnostics and public health preparedness and response capacity for any impending outbreak or pandemic in future”, he said.

Emphasising that these institutions under NCDC will be in the interest of the local populace, the Miniter said, “The Central Government is committed towards strengthening the surveillance of infectious diseases and outbreak response through strengthening of NCDC.”

Among others, Bhubaneswar MP Aparajita Sarangi was present at the function.