Ranchi, March 5: Official facts and figures paint a far from healthy picture of Jharkhand.

Sample this. As many as 2.28 lakh people contracted malaria in the state in 2009. There is an acute shortage of rabies vaccine in almost all the districts. And fear of Naxalite attacks is keeping doctors away from primary health centres in Maoist strongholds of Pratappur, Kunda, Hunterganj, Kanhachatti and Simaria, among other places.

Facing an Opposition attack, health minister Baidyanath Ram had a tough time in the Assembly today trying to explain why the picture was so bleak.

The debate started when JVM(P) legislator from Simaria, Jai Prakash Singh Bhokta, alleged that neither the civil surgeon nor the lone lady doctor are on duty regularly at the district hospital in Chatra.

“Doctors are rarely seen in primary health centres (PHC), additional PHCs and sub-centres across the district. Many doctors are posted with various health establishments in Naxalite affected areas, but they rarely visit the areas, leaving villagers at the mercy of god,” alleged Bhokta.

Bhokta found support from Congress’ Anant Pratap Deo and RJD legislator Suresh Paswan.

No sooner had the discussion on missing doctors ended that Congress legislator from Khijri, Sawna Lakra, brought up the issue of malaria in the state.

He wanted to know from the health minister why the government had failed to utilise insecticides across the state in the current fiscal to keep the vector-borne disease at bay.

According to Ram, May was the ideal time to use insecticides as the temperature and humidity conditions at that time favoured the breeding of female anopheles mosquitoes, the carriers of the disease.

The health minister conceded that out of 33.47 lakh blood samples tested in 2009, 2.28 lakh were found positive for malaria.

He went on to state that though insecticides could check malaria, use of mosquito nets and public awareness campaigns were also important.

At this point, Speaker C.P.Singh reminded the House that two Naga jawans who had come to Jharkhand on election duty, died of malaria-related complications here.

The health minister responded by stating that anti-malaria steps would be taken up before May.

Speaking on the non-availability of rabies vaccine in the state, the health minister said he had allocated Rs two lakh each for Ranchi and East Singhbhum and Rs 1 lakh each for the other districts to stock up on this vital medicine this fiscal.

All legislators were asked by the speaker to use their local area development fund for procurement of anti- rabies vaccine in their constituencies.