First veterinary services audit conducted in state

Vadodara: You might have heard of audits of books of accounts or financial statements. But ever heard of audit of veterinary services?
For the first time in the country, a team from World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) has conducted a performance of veterinary services (PVS) audit in Gujarat.

A two-member team from OIE, which works closely with World Health Organization and Food and Agriculture Organization concluded its three-day visit to Gujarat on Sunday.

Paris-based OIE does PVS of different member countries and provides a gap analysis to the respective countries with recommendations and funds to the concerned countries to improve their veterinary services. Based on its subsequent analysis, countries participating in the process are also provided privileges when it comes to international trade of milk and other animal products.

OIE, which is recognized as reference organization by the World Trade Organization, last year had a total of 181 member countries.

“It is for the first time that PVS concept has been adopted in our country. The OIE team which has concluded its visit in Gujarat will be providing its feedback and will recommend the standards of veterinary services to Government of India once it completes visit to all the states,” said Dr A J Kachhia Patel, director of animal husbandry, Gujarat.

The OIE team which included Dr Howard Batho and Dr Susanee Munstermann not only visited the ‘gaushalas’ in Ahmedabad, Mehsana, Patan but also facilities of dairy giants Amul and National Dairy Development Board apart from the 48-year-old veterinary dispensary at Petlad in Anand district and veterinary poly clinic at Vadodara.

“The team has also conducted field visits to ascertain the immunization, vaccination programmes conducted in the state and interacted with cattle rearers during their visit,” said Patel.

“While we have received positive remarks from the team, we will fill the gaps wherever required based on their suggestions,” said Patel, adding that Gujarat has a livestock population of 2.71 crore which is nearly 5 % of the total livestock population in the country.

“In the last 18 years, we have also made significant improvement when it comes to disease outbreak in livestock. In 2001-02, the number of infectious diseases prevalent in the state was 161 which reduced to 30 in 2016-17 and this has further reduced to 14 in December last year,” he said.

OIE team will now conduct similar audits in Maharashtra, Kerala and Karnataka.