Report of the Special Committee on the Preparation for Entry of the National Malaria Eradication Programme into the Maintenance Phase

The Government of India launched the National Malaria Eradication Programme (NMEP) in the year 1958. It was phased over a period of eight years and was set to operate in four stages: “preparatory, attack, consolidation and maintenance.” On April 10, 1963, the Government of India formed a special committee under the Ministry of Health  to formulate a plan for the entry of the NMEP into the ‘maintenance’ phase. An 11-member committee was constituted under the chairmanship of M.S. Chadha – the then Director General of Health Services. The committee was tasked with reviewing and assessing the requirements necessary for primary health centres to initiate the maintenance phase of the NMEP. It was also asked to formulate a pattern for recruiting staff required for the programme and suggest ways in which the technical and supervisory staff would be deployed after malaria eradication had been achieved in the country. During the 11th session of the committee held between November 5-7, 1963, the interim report was placed before the Central Council of Health. This 47-page report is divided into six sections: Introduction (Section I); Summary (Section II); Maintenance phase (Section III); Status of N.M.E.P. In India (Section IV); Recommendations (Section V); and Appendices (Section VI).