Recovering from dengue: Govt to discuss treatment pricing with hospitals

CM says all houses must get indoor spray, seeks Sri Lankan expertise.

LAHORE:

Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif on Saturday formed a special committee to hold talks with private hospitals on the prices being charged for the treatment of dengue patients.

The government will try to get the hospitals to agree to a uniform pricing policy for the treatment of dengue and announce it on Sunday, said a press release issued after the chief minister met with officials and experts to discuss the dengue outbreak in Punjab. The chief minister said that all institutions would have to meet their national responsibility to protect the common man from dengue.

He told the district coordination officer (DCO) to recruit work-charge employees for pesticide spray and fogging and ordered the immediate import of more fogging machines. He said that it was essential that all houses get an indoor residual spray to eradicate the dengue mosquito.

Sharif said he was satisfied that the insecticide spray campaign was continuing at a good rate and patients were getting good medical facilities. He said that public cooperation and awareness were important aspects of the strategy to check the spread of the virus. He said that all public and private schools must be sprayed with insecticide after school hours and banners and steamers put up at public places to raise awareness about the disease. He directed officials to make sure that social security hospitals and dispensaries of the Health Department are prepared to treat dengue patients.

Earlier, Health Secretary Jehanzeb Khan told the meeting that 2,814 dengue cases had been confirmed throughout the province, of which 2,554 cases were in Lahore. According to the Health Department, 323 more dengue cases were reported in Punjab on Saturday.

The higher education secretary told the meeting that a first round of spraying at colleges had been completed and special teams of students set up to raise awareness about preventive measures.

The health, local government, education and information secretaries, the commissioner and DCO, MNAs and MPAs, and medical experts attended the meeting.

Sri Lankan SOS

Sharif on Saturday also contacted the Sri Lankan ambassador and sought help to combat the disease.

The ambassador assured him that his government would send staff, equipment, technical assistance and medicine. Sri Lanka battled a massive dengue outbreak in 2009 in which hundreds of people died.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 11^th, 2011.