The adviser was chairing a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Dengue at Civil Secretariat.
Rafique said the Dengue Experts Advisory Group (DEAG) had been training doctors from public as well as private hospitals in dengue fever management.
“Some private hospitals have not nominated their doctors for the training after they were sent the invitation,” he said.
Provincial Assembly Members Pir Ashraf Rasul and Nawaz Chauhan, District Coordination Officer (DCO) Muhammad Usman, Labour Department Secretary Farhan Khwaja, Health Services Director General Zahid Pervez, Additional Health Secretary (Technical) Salman Shahid, Institute of Public Health Dean Moaz Ahmed, Chief Minister’s Dengue Research Cell In charge Waseem Akram, DEAG secretary Somia Iqtidar and Health Executive District Officer Zulifqar Ali attended the meeting. The DCO told the meeting larvae of dengue virus carrying mosquitoes had been detected during surveillance of several city areas. He said 48 FIRs were registered, 17 people arrested and five buildings sealed on Friday for not adopting anti-dengue measures.
DEAG secretary Iqtidar said some private hospitals had not sent their doctors for the training. “Treatment of a dengue patient by untrained doctors can result into complications,” she said.
She said the data of dengue fever patients at private hospitals was being sent to the Health Department.
Rafique directed the EDO to persuade private hospitals to send doctors for the training.
The Punjab Institute of Language, Art and Culture (PILAC) director general recommended that a dengue awareness campaign be launched through FM 95.
The meeting decided that doctors trained in dengue fever management would go on air at 10am daily and educate people about dengue fever prevention.
The Chief Minister’s Dengue Research Cell in charge said the prevailing weather was suited to dengue larvae growth.
Additional Health Services Director General Islam Zafar said 69 dengue fever cases had been reported this year. He said the number stood at 193 during the same period last year.
He said four new dengue fever cases had been reported on Thursday and Friday – three in Rawalpindi and one in Sheikhupura.
He said 18 dengue fever patients were currently under treatment at various hospitals. They were all out of danger, he said. He said no death had been reported due to the virus this year.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 21st, 2014.
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