Bill Gates to visit Bihar soon

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Bill Gates is likely to visit Bihar soon, this was disclosed when yesterday, Bihar CM and Bill Gates, former head of Microsoft and founder of Bill Gates-Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), held a discussion through videoconferencing and discussed many other issues including health related programs. Bill Gates, who is now in New Delhi, accepted the invitation of CM Nitish Kumar and wished to come to Bihar during his next visit in India.

Bill Gates, IT giant and founder of Microsoft turned philanthropist, has set up BMGF and help eradicate disease like Polio, Kala-zar( visceral leishmaniasis) and AIDS. The foundation is organized into three main program areas namely Global Development, Global Health and United Sates Program.

Nitish Kumar said that he spoke to a Philanthropist and not an IT giant. Gates reportedly appreciated Nitish’s initiatives vis-à-vis healthcare programs. He particularly appreciated government’s effort of increasing the percentage of immunization in children. Gates has assured help to Bihar in its efforts to eradicate disease like Polio- Kala-zar, AIDS etc.

Bihar is lagging behind in many health indicators. Cases of number of polio are on rise despite repeated pulse polio drives. The situation in Kala-zar is particularly very bad. The districts like Muzaffarpur, Madhepura, Hazipur, Sitamarhi etc are prone to this disease. Maximum number of cases of Kala-zar is reported in Musahars, scheduled caste communities who are very poor and live in damp and unhygienic conditions which are suitable for growth of carrier of this disease. Dr C.P. Thakur an eminent doctor of Patna, expert in this field and M.P. was made head of State’s Kala-Zar Task force team, but he too resigned.

At present there are about 1, 00,000 patients of Kala-zar in Bihar, mostly poor people. Thousands of them have already died and many are on the verge of death. Many such deaths are not counted as deaths due to kala-zar go unnoticed. It is perhaps due to this nature, death due to Kala-zar is also said as Slow and Silent death.

The Amphotericine-B is the only effective drug for treatment of this disease but it is in short supply and it is very costly also. It is perhaps due to this fact the poor patients are unable to buy it from market. If Gates could help mitigate this problem, by supplying this medicine in adequate numbers, it would be a great help to this state which is desperately trying to come out of this stigma.