State Labour & Health dept likely to hold joint meets

Kolkata: The state Health and Labour department may hold a joint meeting to discuss what additional benefits can be given to the Silicosis-affected patients and their rehabilitations. Both the state government departments may explore possibilities if the benefits to these patients and compensations can be increased.

The meeting may be held at Swasthya Bhawan on Wednesday. There was a public interest litigation (PIL) filed at the Calcutta High Court regarding the benefits of Silicosis affected patients. On the basis of the PIL, the court had issued a specific ruling. People working in construction sites, mines, underground tunnels are mostly affected with the disease.

The state Health department earlier sent a revised “Silicosis Relief, Rehabilitation and Treatment Policy” to the Chief Medical officer of Health (CMoHs) in all the districts following the notification of an order by the state Labour department. The health officials in the districts under this policy detect silica affected persons, investigate their cases and ensure that chest X-rays are done on the suspected ones. The health officials also 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.

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 had also asked the CMoHs in various districts to lay emphasis on early detection. Some of the districts have been directed to hold screening programmes in 26 blocks under their jurisdiction to detect if any labourers are suffering from such diseases. A couple of months ago, the Health department in an order to the CMoHs of Purulia, Bankura, Birbhum, Jhargram, West Burdwan and also two health districts - Rampurhat and Basirhat, said that silicosis patients are vulnerable to pulmonary tuberculosis infection. As both silicosis and silico-tuberculosis are public health problems in our state, it is mandated that all silica exposed populations are screened for diagnosis of Silicosis and Silico-tuberculosis under the framework of the National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NTEP).