Workshop on integrated disease surveillance held at AMU

Aligarh: An orientation workshop on "Integrated Disease Surveillance Project (IDSP)", organized by the Department of Community Medicine, J.N. Medical College at the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) was inaugurated by chief guest and AMU Registrar V. K. Abdul Jaleel.

The project, running under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare with assistance from the World Bank seeks to study early detection and response to disease outbreaks. The Department of Community Medicine has been selected as one of the few surveillance units in the country as well as state level training centre for Epidemiologists working in the State Health Department.

Prof. Zulfia Khan, Coordinator of AMU-UNICEF Polio Project and Coordinator of the workshop welcomed the guests and participants. J.N. Medical College Superintendent Prof. Najam Khalique, Medical Superintendent, J.N. Medical College and Organizing Chairman presented a brief overview of IDSP.

He informed that this unit will be connected with Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) based satellite very shortly for for timely transmission of data to the higher centres.

The guest of honor, Professor Afzal Ahmad, former Dean, Faculty of Unani Medicine and Director of Maqbool Social Health and Educational Society, an NGO working for the under-served population in urban slums of Aligarh, appreciated the effort of the department for training as well as surveillance activities to prevent outbreak of diseases.

He acknowledged the efforts of the department in bringing down the polio cases not only in Aligarh but also in other districts of Uttar Pradesh.

Dr. Rahul Kulshreshtha, District Malaria Officer, Malkhan Singh Hospital and guest of honor presented the current scenario of disease surveillance in Aligarh especially for malaria and dengue.

Prof. V.K. Abdul Jaleel congratulated the staff for organizing the workshop and stressed the need to strengthen existing surveillance activities carried out by the department especially in the Medical College as well as in the community to find out early outbreak of communicable and non-communicable diseases.

Dr. M. Athar Ansari, Chairman of the Department and Organizing Secretary of the workshop presented the vote of thanks.

Medical Officers, senior residents, junior residents, and interns posted in the department and participants from Central Record Section, J.N.M.C. attended the  workshop. Dr. M. Athar Ansari, Dr. Anees Ahmad, Dr. Saira Mehnaz and Dr. M. Salman Shah spoke on various aspects related to implementation of IDSP in the district