Scarcity of vets poses health threats

By Our Staff Reporter

Guwahati, Sept 21: Failure of the State government to fill vacant posts of veteririans has led to rising health concerns.

Shortage of veteririans means much of the food that ends up on our dinner plates may not be getting the proper care.

There are 438 veteriry hospitals in the State, of which 123 hospitals do not have a single veteriry doctor.

According to Government of India norms, a State needs to have one veteriry doctor against every 5,000 cattle head or ten villages. However, in Assam the ratio is one veteririan against 28,000 cattle head or 39 villages.

In Cachar district alone, 18 hospitals are going without a single veteriry doctor. In Sonitpur, there are 12, while in Dima Hasao, there are 11 such hospitals without a single doctor.

In some places, a single veteriry doctor is holding additiol charge of two or more hospitals, affecting the services in all of them.

The failure of the government to fill vacant posts of State veteririans could put consumers at risk of getting infected meat that can cause diseases like diarrhea, kidney failure and even death.

Animals being a part of the people's daily diet, infected meat could end up in our local markets. Vets are on the frontline as far as protecting the State's food supply is concerned. "It is the food that we need to eat every day. A healthy animal makes a healthy human," says a diet expert.