Lack of manpower and awareness hindering proper implementation of CATCH

MEETING DISCUSSES PROGRESS OF CATCH AND NRHM
GANGTOK, 13 Sept: A coordination meeting to discuss the progress on Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Annual & Total Check up for Healthy Sikkim [CATCH] and National Rural Health Mission [NRHM] was held at the conference hall at the new Secretariat situated at Development Area today. The meeting was attended by Minister for Health DN Thakarpa, Chief Secretary Karma Gyatso, Additional Chief Secretary, Secretaries and Heads of Department of various government departments, doctors, officials of Health Department and officials of CATCH and NRHM programme.
Speaking during the programme, Minister for Health DN Thakarpa stated that CATCH was a flagship programme of the state started by the Chief Minister, while NRHM was a national programme of the central government. The main objective of the Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Annual & Total Check up for Healthy Sikkim [CATCH] is to prevent diseases, he added.
The rate of diseases in the state has come down quite drastically since the CATCH programme was implemented especially diseases related to hyper tension and diabetes, he said. “Problems will always be there while implementing any programme but we need to take them up as challenges”, the Minister added.
He also said that there is a lack of doctors and medical staff as we do not have the manpower for proper implementation of the programme and if the need arises, then he would take this matter up in the cabinet. If it becomes necessary to get more manpower then they consider appointing doctors and other required staff from outside the state on contractual basis of 3-5 years, he added.
Mentioning that the overall vision of the CATCH programme is to make Sikkim the healthiest state in India the Minister said, “We are on the track and will be able to reach the target by 2015 of being the second organic state in the country as well as fulfill the goal of implementing the CATCH programme in Sikkim”.
Speaking on the awareness needed for the CATCH programme, he stated that out of the 25 CATCH programmes held in the STNM Hospital till date and after spending Rs. 90,000, only 85 people turned up for the programme. Serious thinking needs to be done regarding bringing awareness about the programme amongst the people, he added.
Earlier in his address, the Director General cum Secretary Health Services, Dr K Bhandari informed that Sikkim was the only state in India where such a programme called CATCH has been envisioned and implemented. This is an annual feature started in August 2010 and in 2011 there were many problems initially, but now in 2012 things are looking better and everything is moving in the right direction, he added.
“The CATCH programme is more for prevention and collection of data rather than disease control as this will give us a clear picture of the diseases people of Sikkim suffer from with proper details”, he said and added that due to lack of manpower and doctors problems do arise now and then in implementation of the programme.
A briefing and presentation on the CATCH programme by Dr Keshri Rai [Joint Director, NCD] and another on NRHM by another doctor was also presented to the gathering. An open discussion regarding both the programmes was also held, wherein the Chief Secretary and the Additional Chief Secretary shared their views and opinions.