Encourage inclusiveness and end disparity

The 20th livestock census highlights that the livestock population of India is a whopping 536.76 million (2019-20). The total number of milch animals in cows and buffaloes is 125.34 million showing an increase of 6 percent over the previous census. Although the population of domestic animals has gone up, we still face a myriad of issues in veterinary service delivery in India, especially in availability, accessibility, acceptability, adequacy and affordability. The livestock has increased by 4.8 percent since 2012 but the number of Paravet professionals stands still at the 2012 levels with almost no increase, particularly in the UT of Jammu & Kashmir.
WHO ARE PARAVETS?
J&K para-veterinary officials are a broad group of animal health professionals who are employed in livestock delivery systems which includes animal health, breeding and other minor veterinary services as per Veterinary Council Act 1984. They possess a formal graduation degree and are provided with a one-year veterinary pharmacist training course at Veterinary Pharmacist Training Institutes. Paravets have and are playing a very important role in veterinary service delivery, especially in developing countries because of the immense dearth of professional veterinarians in these countries.
For example, the number of veterinary professionals in India per square Km is 0.036526 ranking far below(#4) our neighbours like Srilanka(#1), Pakistan(#2) and even Bhutan(#3) as per WAHIS & OIE data for 2012.
The scarcity of these professionals creates a huge burden of responsibilities on the shoulders of paravet class who have to perform added functions amidst their own professional roles.
ROLE OF PARAVETS
The para-professionals are also called Paravets, Pashu Mitras, Gopal Mitras, Pranibandhu, Pranimitra, Pranisebee, etc in different states of the country. They perform a wide range of roles in different healthcare services for animals. They render the services like primary veterinary aid which includes vaccination against sporadic and contagious diseases like Foot and Mouth Disease, Hemorrhagicseoticemia, black quarter, lumpy skin disease, brucellosis, rabies, etc, castration, artificial insemination, dressing of wounds of injured animals, casting, assistance in surgeries to veterinary professionals and other types of preliminary aid or treatment of such ailments as state governments may prescribe.
They also participate in Gram Sabha meetings for spreading awareness regarding animal health and disease prevention and educate about the contagious nature of diseases and their schedule of vaccination. Besides, they are also involved in uploading data pertaining to AI, animal registration, vaccination, de-worming, first aid, pregnancy diagnosis and calving on the Bharat Pashudhan app under National Digital Livestock Mission. Paravets maintain office records on a daily basis and also display a pivotal role in maintaining communication between the department and common masses by spreading awareness about schemes related to dairying and poultry (Integrated dairy development programme /integrated poultry development programme)
Animal health services are enormously plagued by quackery which is a dishonest practice and claim by a person to have special knowledge and skill in the field of medicine. The qualified paravets curb quackery in the field under the guidance and supervision of vets thereby reducing the non-judicious use of antibiotics, anti-helmentics and hence drug resistance. The role of a qualified paravet is paramount in remote and tribal areas wherethere is limited accessibility to veterinary healthcare. They make sure to provide facilities of dewormers supplied by the department against parasitic diseases like fascioliasis, systosomasis, paramphistomaisis, veminous pneumonia, etc. This breaks the vicious cycle of parasites like Hydatidosis/Echinococcosis which poses a more insidious and chronic threat to both humans and animals. Besides deworming the paravet renders the services of castration of bulls thereby reducing the chances of transmission of sexually transmitted diseases like trichomoniasis, brucellosis, tuberculosis, and vibriosisete. This enables the poor farmer to become self-reliant in terms of production by allowing him to use the exotic and progeny-tested semen provided free of cost by the Department of Animal Husbandry Jammu&kashmir for breeding purposes.
Paravets are usually the first line of defence against fighting diseases in animal husbandry. They work tirelessly in far-off and remote places to provide easy accessibility of primary healthcare services to livestock amidst facing the acute risk of contracting zoonotic diseases among other multiple hurdles during the course of performing their job.
ISSUES FACED BY PARAVETS
Paravets are the least acknowledged group of professionals in the animal husbandry department despite playing such immense roles and carrying out such huge loads of work. They are overburdened by the variety of roles they have to perform and the tedious nature of their duties. Still, they are paid meagre peanut salaries which are not enough to meet their ends.
They face an acute risk of contracting zoonotic diseases like Brucellosis, Rabies, Anthrax, etc and the Department of Animal Husbandry J&K has witnessed many cases of paravets contracting these deadly diseases. They also face an acute shortage of proper gear to carry out live vaccination and other daily jobs.
The department should enable proper redressal of the grievances of paravets in a time-bound manner.
NEED
The role of Paravets needs to be properly acknowledged. They should be provided with proper gear to prevent them from infections and also risk allowances as a cushion against any unfortunate future incidence of contracting contagious diseases. They need to be provided enough salaries as justified to their role.
Paravets are like the frontline workers of animal health. The department should provide timely and adequate training to the paravets regarding current advancements in animal husbandry and contemporary innovations. Judging by the functions they perform, paravets should be promoted promptly on a meritorious basis by the department to provide just opportunity for efficient staff to improve their ranks. Like other departments of the UT of J&K government which promote employees to their next ranks every two or three years, the department of animal husbandry should also follow the lead instead of the current trend of promotion every 5 to 10 years. This would allow universalization and rationalisation of promotion avenues in every department and end discrimination faced by some.
The government should enable proper accountability and transparency in the promotions and job allocations and also in the designation of functions to the staff in the animal husbandry department. This process should be seen more from an inclusive perspective rather than an administrative one.
The writer is a Veterinary Pharmacist Trainee and can be mailed at [email protected]

Mir Shakeel