Patna, May 12: Kala azar has invaded the state capital after a gap of about one-and-a-half decade with a fresh case detected in the past month from Jakkanpur.

BJP’s Bihar president, Dr C.P. Thakur, today criticised the state government for its policy to contain the disease. He said the administration considered panchayats at its unit for carrying out preventive measures. As a result, several villages remained uncovered.

“The village should be made the centre for carrying out any preventive programmes,” he said, adding that the government should understand that majority of the victims were poor.

Earlier, cases were reported from rural parts of Patna only. “The detection of a fresh case in the capital town is a matter of grave concern for the health department officials in particular and the state administration in general,” said Thakur. He told reporters that the detection of a new case of kala azar in the capital indicated that the disease was spreading fast in the state at a time when the Union government has fixed the target to eradicate the disease from the country by the end of 2015.

Thakur, who served as health minister in the NDA government at the Centre, said kala azar cases were on the rise in the state. “People are clamouring for medicines in rural areas as no medicines are available at the government hospitals,” he lamented.

The BJP leader appealed to the state government to provide medicines to the patients suffering from the disease at the earliest. He added: “The government should purchase medicines worth Rs 10 crore and supply those to important hospitals, including Patna Medical College and Hospital and Nalanda Medical College and Hospital immediately.

The former Union minister said he personally spoke to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh recently and apprised him of the spread of the disease in some states, including Bihar. The Prime Minister has agreed to discuss the issue separately, he said. He added: “I have also suggested to the Bihar government to create a revolving fund to deal with such cases.”

Sources said a sum of around Rs 10,000 is spent on treatment of a kala azar patient. In 2011, 25,171 cases of kala azar were reported in the state compared to 23,084 in 2010, 21,318 in 2009, 29094 in 2008, 37,822 in 2007 and 29,711 in 2006 respectively. “We fear that this year the cases of kala azar in Bihar will increase. The government should take preventive measures to contain the disease,” Dr Thakur said, adding that now even urban areas are not safe. He said the source of the spread of the disease should be detected and treated.