Treatment facilities: Hospitals get Rs20m each for dengue fight
The Punjab government has released Rs20 million for every teaching hospital in Lahore for the treatment of dengue patients, Agriculture Secretary Captain (retired) Arif Nadeem told reporters on Saturday.
He said that four air conditioners had been installed in the wards for dengue patients at General Hospital. He said the government had launched a “vigorous and organised” campaign to raise awareness about the disease.
He said 150 more fogging machines were being imported to add to the 200 already in use. He said 70 medical stores had been punished for overcharging on medicines and 41 laboratories for charging more than Rs90 for blood tests.
Special Health Secretary Dawood Muhammad Khan said that the federal government had issued no-objection certificates for the import of Dextron-40, a drug needed for dengue treatment, from India and the Health Department had placed orders for Rs2 million worth of drops, to be provided in four days.
Khan said 16-bed field hospitals had been given to each teaching hospital to increase capacity. He said walk-in interviews for the recruitment of 1,000 nurses were ongoing, with 624 nurses recruited already.
He said a total of 9,781 cases had been reported in Punjab this year, of which 8,769 were in Lahore.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 25th, 2011.
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