No lab, absent staff: In Madhya Pradesh’s Balaghat, children deaths uncover lapses

Central team report flags glaring gaps; Rahul, CJP visit tribal area.* The post of District Epidemiologist, critical for surveillance, outbreak investigation and data analysis, was vacant. There was no District Public Health Laboratory and the post of microbiologist was vacant.* The most affected village Kundekasa has been without an ASHA worker for over a year, leading to a “major gap in active case detection, community mobilisation and follow-up”.