Health Dept sets up 80 camps in M’garh

Punjab health department set up eighty medical camps for the protection of gastro and epidemics in Muzaffargarh.

MUZAFFARGARH: The Punjab health department has set up eighty medical camps for the protection of gastro and epidemics in district Muzaffargarh.   This was disclosed by District Coordination Officer (DCO) Farasat Iqbal, while presiding over a meeting held at his office.

The meeting was attended by the officers of the Health Department and other district officers. Executive District Officer (EDO) Health Dr Saeed Aamir told the meeting that free medicines, mineral water and packets of ORS are being provided to the people free of charge.  For this purpose, the district officers have set up 65 fixed and 15 mobile medical camps in Muzaffargarh. He said that besides vaccination of 6,750 children, 283,435 persons have also been provided necessary medical treatment in district Muzaffargarh.

He said that lectures have been arranged by Rescue 1122 to create awareness among the people about the spreading of the epidemic wherein the women are being educated to prepare ORS at their homes. The district administration has also arranged anti-mosquito and anti-fly sprays in the relief camps. He said that the health department has directed the workers to keep proper checks and stay highly alert about the spread of the epidemics. DCO Farasat Iqbal directed the officers of Health Department to leave no stone unturned in the treatment of people.

Health Dept dispatches life saving drugs

According to a press release issued on Wednesday, the health department, on the instructions of Chief Minister Punjab Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif, has sent 200 spray pumps and three big and eight small fogging machines to Muzaffargarh. The spray pumps and fogging machines have been sent for door-to-door spray and fogging at a mass level to control malaria and other diseases.

Health Secretary Punjab Fawad Hassan Fawad said that the spray campaign, on war footing basis, has been launched in the flood affected areas to check the growth of mosquito and malaria fever. He further said that the health department has provided 74 trucks of medicines to the flood affected districts so far and two more trucks of medicines were sent to Muzaffargarh and Layyah districts on August 31. Fawad Hassan Fawad further said that the health department has been providing all possible medical relief to the flood affected areas and so far 1,181,562 people have been provided medical treatment.

He said that 814 permanent relief medical camps and 894 mobile medical teams are busy in providing treatment facilities round the clock. Moreover, 72 medical teams sent by different teaching hospitals are also providing treatment facilities to the people.

Meanwhile, director Health Management Information System Dr Muhammad Anwar Janjua, while giving details of the medical relief activities informed that the health department has distributed more than 1.8 million packets of ORS and 311,000 mineral water bottles. 940 dog bite cases have been given anti-rabies vaccines and 385 snake-biten people have been given anti-snake venom.

Dr Janjua said that the number of skin disease cases was very high and so far 281,639 patients have been provided treatment facilities, whereas 205,079 cases of respiratory track infection (R.T.I) have been reported and treated so far. Similarly, 143,089 patients of gastroenteritis have been provided treatment by the doctors of the health department, he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 2^nd, 2010.