Mosquito threat: Dengue surveillance audit planned

Officials directed to improve dengue patient reporting mechanism

LAHORE: Adviser to Chief Minister on Health Khawaja Salman Rafique on Tuesday directed hospitals to improve the working of dengue counters.

He was presiding over a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Dengue at the Civil Secretariat. MPA Pir Ashraf Rasool and DCOs of Lahore and Sheikhupura were also present. Commissioners and DCOs of Gujranwala, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad and Multan attended the meeting through video link. Rafique said that banners should be displayed at all hospitals for raising awareness about dengue fever among people.

He said that a third-party audit should be conducted to validate dengue surveillance reports in Lahore, Gujranwala, Rawalpindi, Multan and Sheikhupura districts. The meeting was briefed about the surveillance activities and other steps taken for dengue control.

Officers from the Punjab Information Technology Board and the Special Branch told the meeting that there were gaps in dengue surveillance activities and arrangements at hospitals.

The meeting was also informed that a majority of private hospitals were not providing data regarding dengue patients to the PITB.

“There is also a need to improve dengue patient reporting system of public sector hospitals,” the officials said.

Rafique said that a vibrant data collection system from private hospitals and general medical practitioners should be evolved.

He told officials to remove gaps pointed out by the PITB and the Special Branch.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 4^th, 2016.