‘Form silicosis diagnosis board in all districts’

Kolkata: The state Health department has directed the Chief Medical Officers of Health (CMOHs) in all the districts to form a silicosis diagnosis board in all the districts.

The CMOHs have been asked to nominate one chest specialist, a general physician, a radiologist, and district tuberculosis officer to function as members of the District Silicosis Diagnosis Board. District Magistrates will be working as the chairperson.

The ‘District Silicosis Diagnosis Board’ will be responsible for diagnosis of silicosis on receiving relevant reports from silicosis suspected people. It will make recommendations for the issuance of silicosis patients’ identity cards and provide benefits to silicosis-affected patients as per “Silicosis Relief Rehabilitation and Treatment Policy West Bengal” as notified by the State Labour department.

The Health department has sent a revised “Silicosis Relief, Rehabilitation and Treatment Policy” to the Chief Medical Officers of Health in all the districts after the state Labour department had notified.

The health officials in the districts under this policy will detect silica-affected persons, investigate their cases and ensure that chest X-rays are done on the suspected ones.

“The health officials will provide treatment, medication, re-examination of the people affected by Silicon and do such other things as may be required for the improvement of the health of the silica affected people,” reads a Health department order.

In a bid to check silicosis and silico-tuberculosis among the labourers working in various factories, including stone and mineral grinding ones, the Health department earlier asked the CMOHs in various western districts to lay emphasis on early detection.

Five districts and two health districts have been directed to hold screening programmes in 26 blocks under their jurisdiction to detect if any labourers are suffering from these diseases.