Damage control: ‘Dengue fever helpline from today’

150 doctors will be available for advice on fever, precautions; Sharif orders import of medicine from India.

LAHORE:

A helpline to provide information on dengue virus will start functioning around the clock from Saturday, Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif said on Friday.

He said the helpline will have 150 doctors working in three shifts. He added that people could call the helpline and get expert’ advice on precautions against the virus as well as on condition of patients close to them.

Sharif was addressing a meeting of the emergency committee set up to control the spread of dengue virus. Sharif directed Health Secretary Jahanzeb Khan to import the medicines needed for the dengue patients from India. He said if needed his office would facilitate the process. The chief minister was earlier told that shortage of the medicines could be overcome through import from France or from India and that import from the former would take more than four months.

(Read: Alarming proportions - ‘Dengue out of Punjab government’s control’)

The chief minister also directed the officials to set up a special cell for speedy import of medicines and equipment from abroad.

He said emergency committees consisting of members of national and provincial assemblies were monitoring fumigation and spray campaigns in the city. He called upon students to organise a door-to-door campaign to spread awareness about precautions for preventing the disease.

The chief minister took strict notice of complaints about insufficient treatment facilities at Shaikh Zayed Hospital. He directed the health secretary to contact the hospital administration and ensure that satisfactory arrangements were in place. The secretary was also told to contact blood banks and private laboratories and to ensure that diagnostic facilities were available for reasonable charges.

Sharif also ordered action against vendors hoarding mosquito repellents and asked the district coordination officer to ensure that these were available at all major markets of the city at notified prices.

He later directed provincial minister Chaudhry Abdul Ghafoor to visit public hospitals in Kasur, Okara and Sheikhupura districts and review treatment facilities for dengue patients.

Earlier, chairmen of all town committees briefed the chief minister on the measures they had so far taken to control the spread of the virus.

The health secretary informed the meeting that so far 2,074 cases of dengue virus had been reported from the province, of which 1,992 were from Lahore.



Published in The Express Tribune, September 10^th, 2011.