Medicina tropical e cirurgia

Abstrato

A Leader’s Fight Against Malaria in Kolkata, India

Debashis Biswas

Malaria is an age-old public health problem in Kolkata City, the cultural capital of India. In 2010, a popular political leader, Atin Ghosh, became the Member of the Mayor-in-Council (Health) of Kolkata Municipal Corporation at the behest of the Hon’ble Chief Minister of West Bengal, Ms Mamata Banerjee. Unlike his predecessors, Mr Ghosh took several unprecedented initiatives to fight against malaria and implemented them religiously. As a result of which, the situation improved remarkably. The number of malaria cases here downslided from a dispiriting 96,693 in 2010 to a comfortable 32659 in 2012 through 41,642 in 2011. No death due to malaria occurred in the city after 2010. The extent of decline in the number of Pf cases was from 14,226 in 2010 to a mere 3403 in 2012. The World Health Organization and the Directorate of National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme, Government of India, have officially appreciated the achievement of KMC in the field of malaria prevention. Truly, a new era of mosquito control activities so needed to prevent malaria and other mosquito-borne diseases began in KMC area soon after Atin Ghosh had taken over the charge of the health department of KMC as the MMIC. He proved himself to be a trendsetter. Political leaders around the country can learn a lesson from this leader of Kolkata.