Commissioner & Secretary Health & Family Welfare, Sentiyanger Imchen IAS lighting the inaugural lamp during the concluding event on health awareness special campaign on March 7. (DIPR Photo)
Concluding event on health awareness special campaign held
Kohima, March 7 (DIPR): Commissioner & Secretary Health & Family Welfare, Sentiyanger Imchen IAS said that media, both electronic and print, plays a very important role in creating awareness and in educating the people on various health schemes and programmes of the government. He said this while addressing the concluding event on health awareness special campaign as the chief guest held at The Heritage, organised by the Directorate of Field Publicity (DFP), Regional office Nagaland & Manipur (N&M) Region, Kohima, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Government of India on March 7.
Imchen said that DFP is playing an important role in disseminating information to the people. He felt the two important functions of the media in health sector are to spread awareness of the various schemes and programmes available and to educate the people on prevention and called on the media to continue their services for the health sector. He said that many diseases can be prevented by educating the masses. While citing an example, he informed that the GoI has declared 2012 as year of Intensification of Routine Immunization with an aim to present full immunizations to children for free. However, a low number of people came up to avail these immunizations. He said that the department will continue with the Immunization Week every month and said that the programmes should be highlighted to the people for preventive measures. Educating the masses is very important in preventing the diseases and said that DFP and the media should continue their activities especially in the health sector so as to reach out to the people even in the remotest area so as to live a healthy life.
Dr. Engam Pame, IIS, Director, DFP (N&M) while presenting the opening remark said that for schemes and programme to succeed people’s participation is important and for this people should have sufficient awareness about these programmes. It is here that the DFP comes in to fill in the gaps and acts as a bridge between the people and information, he stated. He informed that DFP was entrusted by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, GoI to carry out publicity campaign on JSSK/JSY, Immunization, Malaria and HIV/AIDs and accordingly DFP (N&M) launched and intensive publicity campaign commencing from December 11, 2012 and concluded in February 2013. Districts of Mon and Tuensang were covered in Nagaland while 6 districts were covered in Manipur during the awareness campaign, he added.
Chairman of the function, Joint Director, IPR, Limawati Ao also said that information technology has made such an impact that the world today moves on bandwidth. Information is the key to knowledge and knowledge is power, he added. He said that DFP and IPR are the managers of information and people should look at information as a tool.
Short speech was also presented by the guest of honour, Director (Engineering) AIR, Kohima, Kenyelo Kent while a presentation on Jani-Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (JSSK) was given by Programme Officer, JSSK, Dr. John. The Song and Drama Division of DFP (N&M) presented the welcome song. A video presentation of the campaign activities conducted by the DFP Units (N&M) was also shown during the programme. The Chief Guest and other dignitaries earlier lit the inaugural lamp.
