Public health: ‘Defeat dengue with collective efforts’

Chief minister says general practitioners should refer dengue fever patients to public hospitals.

LAHORE:

“Citizen’s cooperation is essential in the anti-dengue campaign,” Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif said on Saturday.

He was chairing a meeting to review dengue control arrangements in the province.

“Elected representatives, government departments and various sectors of the society have to work together to defeat the dengue menace,” he said.

The chief minister said dengue control rules should be strictly followed. He said if dengue larvae were found at a building, its owner should be arrested and the building be sealed.



MPAs Rana Sanaullah, Rana Mashhood, Khalil Tahir Sindhu, Lahore Development Authority (LDA) Vice Chairman Khwaja Ahmad Hassan, secretaries of various government departments and health experts were also present in the meeting.

The chief minister said senior officials should monitor the anti-dengue drive closely to minimise chances of negligence.

The chief minister also appealed to general practitioners to refer dengue patients to public hospitals because they were stocked with anti-dengue medicines and special wards had been set up for the patients.  “Trained nurses, paramedical staff and doctors are available at government hospitals so if there are any dengue patients admitted at a general physician’s, they should be sent to the public hospitals immediately,” the chief minister said.

He said data of reported dengue cases should be collected from all hospitals and clinics of the province.

He said relevant departments and their secretaries should supervise the anti-dengue drive.

He also advised officials to buy android phones to keep a check on the staff engaged in the drive.

He said hygiene standards at open public places and vegetable markets should be improved. The chief minister also issued instructions to the Lahore commissioner and Lahore Solid Waste Management Company to keep in contact with the railway officials to improve hygiene standards in Mughalpura Railway Colony.

The secretaries of the relevant departments briefed the chief minister about the dengue situation.

The health secretary briefed the chief minister on medical treatments and facilities for dengue patients.

BUILDINGS SEALED

The district administration and the Health Department teams on Saturday sealed two buildings after dengue larvae were found.

Teams of the Health Department raided two cinemas on a tip off.

They found dengue larvae and dirt heaps on the premises.

The teams sealed both the cinemas and cases were registered against their owners.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 10^th, 2013.