Malaria centre to be set up

GANDHINAGAR, June 4: The health department will set up a scientific research and forecasting centre at the B.J. Medical College in Ahmedabad to effectively deal with the spread of malaria in Gujarat.

The British Council will provide Rs 10 crore in aid for the centre, which will start functioning in July.

Health Minister Ashok Bhatt told reporters on Thursday that he would submit a project report on the centre to British Council officials in Delhi on Friday. The centre will be an extension of the malaria control project set up in Surat with help from the British Council.

The centre will be the first of its kind in the country, as it will collect relevant details about climactic changes via satellite images, analyse the data and forecast possible outbreaks of the disease. The centre will be affiliated with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine which will impart training to experts from the state under the able guidance of Dr Mino Bauma of the school.