Center turns down Gujarat’s demand for National Institute of Communicable Diseases(NICD)

Ministry of Finance, Government of India has turned down state government’s ambitious plan to set up National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) in Gujarat. After wide-spread H1N1(swine-flu) and Congo fever like viruses Gujarat Government had send the proposal for establishing NICD in state.

The state Health & Family Welfare had send proposal to Ministry of Health & Family Welfare which was subsequently transferred to Ministry of Finance by the Ministry of Health for checking financial viability of the project, however the proposal to the Min. of Finance to set up NICD set up the institute branch in Gujarat was been turned down by the Department of Expenditure, of Ministry of Finance.

GoI(Ministry of Health & Family Welfare) had stated that the Ministry had sent this centre is very important for the State to enable field research and studies into various outbreaks of communicable diseases. If a centre is set up in Gujarat, insight into the disease outbreak will be faster especially in case of diseases like Leptospirosis that affect the poor farmers and farm workers. The analysis and study of serum samples and laboratory studies in the disease pattern will be enabled through this centre. This would not only help in the prevention of various diseases but also preventing their spread to other areas.

The state Government has again taken up the matter with the Department of Expenditure, GoI to reconsider the proposal but they have informed that the proposal should be resubmitted to them by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, GoI.