Institutions should include 'health-education' in curriculum

Chennai, Oct 6 (UNI) Tamil Nadu Governor Surjit Singh Barnala today opined that educational institutions should include health-education' as part of the curriculum and educate the students on the implications of various diseases.

Inaugurating the first national conference of the Indian Academy of Tropical Parasitology here, he said apart from educating the students, the NSS and women SHG volunteers should organise mass cleaning camps, in coordination with voluntary organisations, in their villages to upkeep hygiene.

The medical and paramedical staff working in government hospitals and in primary health centres should take it as their responsibilities to create awareness among the people on the importance of 'health and hygiene', he added.

Lauding the State Government's efforts in successfully identifying and eliminating 'guinea worm diseases', he said, ''the practice of de-worming should be done at regular intervals for children.'' ''We have reached a situation of 'familiarity breeding tolerance' because of the widespread prevalence of parasitic diseases. Updating knowledge on tropical parasitic diseases, their diagnosis and effective management is necessary,'' he added.

UNI