PHOTO: AFP
All three fatalities were reported from Holy Family Hospital (HFH) on Tuesday. The bodies have been handed over to the family.
The victims include 21-year-old Ghazanfar, 55-year-old Shafiq Umar and 50-year-old Pervaiz. Among the deceased, Ghazanfar and Umar were from Rawalpindi and Pervaiz was from Islamabad.
Apart from this, 197 more virus affected patients were brought to hospitals in Rawalpindi over past 24-hours after which the collective figure until now has reached 4,451.
As many as 110 cases were reported from dengue sensitive Potohar Town while other cases had emerged from Rawal Town and different parts of the Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB).
Further, the influx of patients in Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH), Holy Family Hospital (HFH), District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital and private hospitals is underway despite establishment of mobile and filter clinics.
Dengue threat looms as 13 more found infected
Final showdown
In a decisive action against deadly mosquito, the district administration has recruited 1,000 more people for anti-dengue teams.
The administration has also sought approval from Punjab government for hiring 700 more to make operation more effective.
Meanwhile, the authorities have demanded 100 more fogging pumps for Rawalpindi and doubling of the available ventilators in allied hospitals by the provincial government.
Under case response policy, the officials will visit houses of patients in areas worst-hit with virus. A senior official in district administration, requesting anonymity, told The Express Tribune that if a decisive action against dengue was not taken now, the patient count might escalate to 600-700 patients a day which would ultimately paralyse healthcare system.
The official added that district administration had recruited some 1,000 daily-wage employees which would be deployed in field staff and told that the administration had sought approval of 700 more recruitments from Punjab government.
Tehsil Headquarters (THQ) hospitals have also been directed to remain completely prepared and more beds were being setup in them, he added. The official told that administration along with assistance of Punjab government and health department was trying its best to curtail spread of virus to more areas. He said that they had asked provincial government to double ventilators in allied hospitals in Rawalpindi owing to the fact that virus was now, for very time, causing Dengue Shock Syndrome (DSS) and Dengue Hemorrhage Fever (DHF) to patients.
Capital’s hospitals told to devise dengue management plans
The official also appealed to the citizens to take precautionary measures despite government’s efforts.
Officials on inspection
Commissioner Rawalpindi Division Saqib Zafar and Secretary Co-operatives Punjab Mansoor Qadir Shah inspected dengue filter clinics and various houses in Dhok Bakhsh and Rahimabad on Tuesday.
During the visit, the officials were informed that nine dengue cases have been reported from the area. They inquired citizens about anti-dengue activities and public healthcare facilities and urged them to take precautionary measures if dengue larvae were recovered from their respective areas.
The officials directed the staff deployed at filter clinics prepare data of dengue and typhoid patients separately in order to create easiness in treatment facilities.
The citizens were informed by the officials that six more filter clinics have been established for public while more facilities in public hospitals have been added. They told the citizens to utilize government provided facilities for treatment of dengue instead of heading to expensive private hospitals.
Over 100 dengue patients confirmed in single Pindi village
Similarly, the Advisor to Chief Minister of Punjab on Health Muhammad Hanif Pitafi visited Rural Health Center (RHC) Khayaban Sir Syed along with Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Health Dr Sohail Ahmed Chaudhry.
During the visit, the officials reviewed facilities being provided to patients in the health centre.
On this occasion, the advisor directed In-charge RHC Dr Lebani, to leave no room in provision of treatment facilities to patients along with sensitizing visitors regarding precautionary measures against virus.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 2nd, 2019.
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