Dr Raut, who was in Pune recently, told The Indian Express that awareness about snakebites has increased in the country.Lok Sabha member from Shirur in Maharashtra’s Pune district Dr Amol Kolhe has written to the Union Ministry of Health seeking an advanced centre for snakebite treatment and research in the state under the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
“Snakebite envenomation is one of the major public health problems in India and Maharashtra contributes to significantly higher number of snakebite cases and deaths annually,” Dr Kolhe said in his letter addressed to Dr Bharati Pawar, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, and Rajesh Bhushan, secretary of the ministry. Snakebite kills more than 58,000 Indians each year and the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared it the most neglected tropical disease in the world.
In the letter, Dr Kolhe spoke of the tireless efforts of Dr Sadanand Raut and Dr Pallavi Raut who have been researching snakebite treatments in Pune’s Narayangaon for over 30 years under a project titled Mission Zero Snakebite Death and have so far saved over 5,500 snakebite victims with zero per cent mortality.
“We want to start this dedicated centre at the nursing home at Narayangaon and are really happy that Dr Kolhe has backed the project,” Dr Sadanand Raut told The Indian Express. In the last two months, they have treated 50 cases of snakebite, mainly from Junnar, Ambegaon and Shirur tehsils in Pune district and Parner and Sangamner in Ahmednagar district.
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Dr Kolhe’s letter has urged the authorities to open the centre saying that Maharashtra urgently requires a dedicated institute for the same to empower the community and healthcare workers and to conduct high-priority research to provide critical policy inputs to the state and Centre for reducing mortality and morbidity associated with snakebite envenomation. “Under ICMR-DHR scheme for establishing ‘Centre for Advanced Research’, I am requesting you to consider ‘ICMR Advanced Centre for Snakebite Treatment and Research’ in Maharashtra state,” he has written.
Citing Dr Raut’s contribution, Kolhe said that “through their clinical research, they are able to save precious lives and also prevent deformities in critically ill snake bite victims. The couple is actively engaged in giving vigorous training to medical officers in the public health system, private practitioners, as well as Medical Students all over Maharashtra. Additionally, they are extensively engaged in health education, public awareness for prevention, primary aid.”
While Dr Raut’s contributions have been recognised by national and international agencies, including WHO, Oxford University and the ICMR, he is currently involved in two national studies on snakebite funded by ICMR. He has also been selected by WHO as Member, Roster of Expert Snakebite Envenoming. “The centre will not only provide treatment to victims of snakebite but also conduct high priority research on prevention, diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, newer therapeutics, policy issues and community awareness. The snakebite centre will work in coordination with the ICMR institute in Mumbai, the state public health department, and Maharashtra University of Health Sciences for capacity building of the health system on snakebite,” Kolhe said.
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Dr Raut, who was in Pune recently, told The Indian Express that awareness about snakebites has increased in the country. “Through our campaign, we also want to train doctors and medical personnel on treatment aspects so that snakebite victims get prompt and proper treatment,” Dr Raut said. “ICMR has taken the issue of deaths due to snakebite very seriously. Lack of trained doctors and staff is a major problem,” Dr Raut said.
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First published on: 12-08-2022 at 05:43:19 pm