‘Collaborative efforts from stakeholders need of hour to combat impact of Rabies in society’

Srinagar: Advisor to Lieutenant Governor, Rajeev Rai Bhatnagar today remarked that collaborative efforts from all stakeholders, including government agencies, healthcare providers, veterinarians and public are the need of the hour to combat the impact of Rabies in the society.

The Advisor made these remarks while addressing the day long technical conference on Rabies, organised on the backdrop of ‘World Rabies Day 2023-All for 1, One Health for All’ at Sher-e-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) here.

Secretary in Agriculture Production Department (APD), Shabnam Kamili; Director Animal Husbandry Jammu, Shubra Sharma; Director Animal Husbandry Kashmir, Purnima Mittal, Joint Directors, veterinarians from across the districts and other stakeholders were also present on the occasion.

Addressing the gathering, Advisor Bhatnagar said that this conference is a unique platform to raise awareness about the devastating impact of rabies and the importance of prevention and control measures. He emphasized on the need for collaborative efforts from all stakeholders, including government agencies, healthcare providers, veterinarians, and the public to combat the impact of this dreadful disease.

He stressed upon the all stakeholders to work in cohesion and convergence so that Rabies can be completely eradicated. He highlighted that educational institutions and other publicly important places should be utilised to create maximum awareness among the people about the prevention from Rabies.

The Advisor exhorted upon the participants to aware people about latest advancements in rabies prevention, organise vaccination campaigns and awareness programs, to combat this deadly disease.

Advisor Bhatnagar further called upon the participants to study the feasibility of including certain aspects of veterinary science in school curriculum so that the children are made aware about animal health and hygiene from a very young age.

Speaking on different achievements of J&K Administration, Advisor Bhatnagar said that Jammu and Kashmir is witnessing remarkable changes from last four years. He highlighted that J&K is number one in providing digital services to the citizens across the country. He added that J&K State Health Agency was ranked number one health agency across the country recently.

Commending the organisers for organising this conference, Advisor Bhatnagar said that this conference will provide a platform for stakeholders from different sectors to come together, share knowledge, and collaborate on efforts to combat rabies and protect human and animal health.

Addressing the gathering, Shabnam Kamili said that this conference will establish an enabling environment for veterinarians to discuss and deliberate on techniques and methods of tackling Rabies in the region. She urged upon all participants to work together towards a future where rabies is no longer a threat to human and animal populations.

During the conference, several technical sessions and informative sessions were held by veterinarians and experts from various fields related to rabies prevention and control. The participants also had the opportunity to engage in meaningful discussions, share best practices, and explore new strategies to accelerate progress towards a establishing a rabies-free society.