The state health department has tightened its belt to deal with encephalitis cases effectively, health minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey said late Saturday night.

Choubey was here to flag off an ambulance with sophisticated medical gadgets and a team of doctors. The ambulance would go around public health centres regularly and take stock of the situation and treat patients there.

The minister said the chief medical officer (CMO) has been asked to monitor the ambulance so that its use was optimal. He made it clear that the health department was ready to tackle the encephalitis problem this year.

Choubey said the government has expedited the process to open a laboratory on a par with Rejendra Medical Research Centre in Patna at Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital (SKMCH), Muzaffarpur, for in-depth examination of diseases like encephalitis.

He added that the people of Bihar have reposed faith in the government facilities and so far 1.22 crore people were availing health benefits from state-run hospitals.

The CMO, Gyan Bhushan, said an awareness campaign regarding encephalitis-like diseases has been initiated in rural areas of the district.

“Health workers are going from door-to-door to make people aware of the disease. They are also distributing leaflets highlighting the encephalitis symptoms,” Bhushan said.