Doctors, parameds to be on duty during Eid holidays

Punjab government cancels Eid holidays of doctors and paramedical staff of the Health Department .

LAHORE: The Punjab government has cancelled Eid holidays of the doctors and the paramedical staff of the Health Department working in the public hospitals and those deployed in the flood affected areas.

The special spray campaign will continue in the flood affected districts to control the population of disease carrying insets.

Health Secretary Fawad Hasan Fawad said that 894 mobile and 844 stationed medical camps were providing treatment to the flood affected. He said that so far the doctors at the camps had treated more than 1.5 million patients. He said that all the hospitals in the province would remain open during the Eid holidays to provide 24-hour medical cover to the people.

He said the top priority for Health Department was to control the epidemics in the flood-hit districts. UNICEF would provide 250,000 mosquito nets which would be distributed after Eid.

So far 1,987,653 packets of ORS and 500,000 Aqua Pure tablets have been distributed to protect the people from gastroenteritis and other waterborne diseases. The doctors have treated 177,000 patients of gastroenteritis and 473 cases of snake bites have been provided the vaccine for snake venom.

Hasan said that special food packets were distributed among pregnant women and young children. Hygiene kits, each containing a tooth paste, brush, toilet soap and a towel have also been distributed in these areas.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 11^th, 2010.