Balochistan declares health emergency

Congo outbreak affects 44 people in Quetta alone

QUETTA:

The Balochistan government on Monday enforced health emergency across all hospitals in the province as the Congo outbreak affected 44 people in Quetta alone, claiming the life of the Aga Khan graduate Dr Shukrullah and jeopardising the life of many others.

Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) reported on November 3 in ICU of the Provincial Sandeman Hospital infected 112 people including duty doctors, paramedics and attendants.

Following the lab reports confirming the presence of the deadly virus in several individuals within the provincial capital, the health department and the caretaker government swiftly initiated preventive measures. Critical patients were urgently transported to Karachi via air ambulances, while those with mild symptoms were transferred by road.

In a show of support for the provincial government's efforts, the federal government dispatched two healthcare practitioners from the National Institute of Health Sciences to aid the health department in containing the spread of the virus.

Caretaker Chief Minister Balochistan, Ali Mardan Domki, emphasized that the Sindh government and the management of Aga Khan Hospital, along with other major hospitals in Karachi, were fully engaged in addressing the alarming virus outbreak. They were working collaboratively to ensure the best possible medical care for the patients being transferred to Karachi.

During a high-level meeting to assess the measures taken in response to the deadly virus, Chief Minister Domki, Health Minister Ameer Mohammad Jogezai, Chief Secretary Balochistan Shakeel Qadir Khan, Secretary Health Abdullah Khan, Secretary Livestock Tayyab Lehri, DG Health Services Noor Qazi, and Additional Secretary Finance Shujaat Hussain Khosa were among the prominent attendees.

The chief minister directed the finance department to promptly release the necessary funds for the Regional Blood Centers (RBCs) and approved an extension of the services provided by public health laboratories. He emphasized that no effort should be spared in delivering healthcare facilities to the affected individuals.

Furthermore, Chief Minister Domki declared Dr. Shukrullah as a martyr, instructing the relevant authorities to ensure compensation to the deceased's heirs as per the law. He also called upon the Livestock department to continue the practice of insecticide spraying on livestock.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, November 7^th, 2023.