Public health: ‘All staff to be trained for dengue fever’

General Hospital administration equips units with modern facilities.

LAHORE:

The Lahore General Hospital (LGH) administration has equipped High Dependency Units with modern apparatus and facilities required for emergency, in order to effectively treat dengue fever patients. The LGH and Post Graduate Medical Institute had also launched a website and SMS service for public awareness about dengue fever, PGMI Principal Anjum Habib Vohra said at an LGH administration meeting on Sunday.

Vohra said Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif was committed to eliminating the dengue fever virus. He said the departments concerned were supporting him to achieve this goal. He said that apart from doctors and nurses, all those working in hospitals including paramedics were being trained to deal with dengue fever patients. He stressed the need to inform patients about preventive measures against the fever and the importance of a hygienic environment.

Vohra said that an SMS service was being provided to media, social leaders, doctors, educationist and religious scholars to create awareness among the general public about the disease. He also asked the directors of emergency and outdoor departments to ensure ample storage of medicines for seasonal diseases.

Vohra also told the meeting that computer education was being introduced for nursing students at the hospital. He said that the medical superintendent (MS) and additional MS should ensure that sanitary inspectors were working efficiently to keep the hospital clean. He said that in order to avoid dengue water should not collect anywhere during construction.

The meeting was attended by Professor Ghayasun Nabi Tayyab, Professor Agha Shabbir Ali, MS Dr Pervaiz Imtiaz, the emergency director and administrative doctors. All the department heads briefed Vohra on the preparations being made to deal with the dengue virus.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 26^th, 2014.