The Gazetteers Department

The public health of the district is looked after by the Public Health Department of the State and the local bodies such as the municipalities, the Zilla Parishad and the Panchayat Samitis.

The head of the Public Health department at the State level is the Director of Public Health with headquarters at Poona. For public health purposes the State of Maharashtra is divided into four divisions, each division being in charge of a Deputy Director of Public Health Services. The jurisdiction of Bombay division extends over Dhulia district. The District Health Officer who is responsible for all public health matters in the district is the head of the Health department of the Zilla Parishad. Though technical control over him is exercised by the Director of Public Health, he has to work under the administrative control of the Chief Executive Officer of the Zilla Parishad. The District Health Officer organises measures for general public sanitation and hygiene and sanitation at fairs and festivals; investigates the causes, origin and spread of diseases, both epidemic and endemic and adopts preventive measures to control diseases, like cholera, small-pox and enteric infections. He inspects and advises municipalities, panchayat samitis and other village authorities about health, sanitation, drainage and water-supply; inspects centres for child and maternity welfare, family planning and leprosy and looks to industrial and school hygiene; recommends the issue of licences for cinema theatres and other places of public amusement; inspects sites for school buildings, factories, burial grounds, village extensions, etc.. and gives opinion on their suitability from the point of view of public health. He also carries out health education with the help of his subordinate staff. The District Health Officer is assisted by the necessary subordinate staff in the execution of various health schemes in the district.

Primary Health Centres.

The Medical Officers in charge of the primary health centres are responsible for rendering preventive as well as curative help to the population covered by the centre. The primary health centres in the district are located at Lamkani, Borkund, Dahiwel, Nizampur, Khandbara, Pratappur, Thalner, Ranala, Mulgi, Khapar, Mhasavad, Vadali, Nardhana, Malpur, and Dhadgaon.

Epidemic Medical Officer.

The main duty of the Epidemic Medical Officer is to control epidemics in case of their occurrence and to adopt measures for prevention of epidemics in non-epidemic times. He has also to render medical aid in rural areas.

Sanitary Inspector.

The Sanitary Inspector works under the general supervision of the Medical Officer. He assists the Medical Officer in carrying out health surveys of the villages and is responsible for the execution of the plans chalked out by the Medical Officer. He is in charge of the environmental sanitation programme. He is also responsible for collection and consolidation of vital statistics.

Family Planning.

There are in all 19 family planning centres in the district. The number of family planning centres attached to the Public Health Centres is fifteen and the remaining four are attached to the Zilla Parishad dispensaries. A mobile vasectomy unit has also been created. The family planning programme in the district is looked after by the District Family Planning Officer and Medical Officer in charge of the Mobile Vasectomy Unit under the general supervision of the Public Health Officer of the Zilla Parishad.

Each Rural Family Planning Centre consists of the main centre attached to the Public Health Centre or the Zilla Parishad Dispensary and three sub-centres. Each centre is manned by one Extension Educator, two Male Field Workers, four Female Field Workers and other subordinate staff. The family planning programme consisting of survey, propaganda, registration of cases for sterilization, etc., is organised through these centres. Regular Orientation Training Camps in Family Planning are organised for the social workers and village panchayats.

Fairs.

Only three notified fairs viz., Sarangkheda fair, Shirpur fair and Taloda fair are held in the district every year. The Sarangkheda fair is organised by the Sarangkheda grampanchayat while Shirpur and Taloda fairs are managed by the respective municipalities.

The Public Health Officer with his staff organises the sanitation at the fairs. Precautionary measures for preventing the outbreak of cholera and small-pox are also taken at the time of these fairs.

Health Propaganda.

Health propaganda is done by all the health staff by use of posters, pamphlets as also by giving lectures, arranging film shows and through group discussions on all subjects of public health such as epidemics, immunisation programme, nutrition, personal hygiene, anti-natal and post-natal care, family planinng, etc. Film shows are also arranged at the fair and exhibitions.

School Hygiene.

The medical officers in charge of public health centres and dispensaries, undertake medical examination of school children at the headquarters and sub-centre villages. Minor treatment and medical advice is given to the children. The public health centres make free distribution of vitamine tablets and UNICEF milk powder to the children.

National Malaria Eradication Scheme.

Dhulia district is an endemic area. The scheme came into operation in the district in 1950 and the entire district is now covered by the scheme. Two Malaria Officers who are in charge of the scheme are assisted by Malaria Supervisors and Malaria Inspectors and other subordinate staff. One of the main activities undertaken is indoor D. D. T. spraying throughout the district twice a year. From 1961, the organisation has switched over to spraying B. H. C. consequent upon the mosquitoes having been found to have developed increased tolerance to D. D. T. For the assessment of results, villages are surveyed and child/infant blood smears and blood smears from fever cases and passive cases are collected and examined from time to time. Surveillance operations were started in the district in 1961. Due to the successful implementation of the scheme, the incidence of malaria in the district has been considerably reduced.

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