The rise in number of dengue patients in Rawalpindi has raised alarms for the authorities that are struggling to curb the virus. The total number of patients has soared to 219.
The district government and health officials have expressed their helplessness in controlling dengue owing to the shortage of women staff in the cantonment areas.
Sources at the commissioner office revealed that currently only 40 women are working in the areas while the city administration has asked the cantonment authorities to hire 250 women for the task.
Speaking to The Express Tribune, Rawalpindi Cantonment Board Additional Executive Officer Shakil Anwar Jappa said that a total of 32 dengue patients had been reported from the cantonment area so far — most of them from the Gawalmandi area.
He added that 18 teams were working in different cantonment areas. “We had to cancel Eid holidays of the staff owing to the situation in the city.”
Jappa was of the opinion that the increasing number of patients was due to the sluggish and irresponsible attitude of the people. “People do not allow our teams to enter their houses for checking, making things complicated,” he said.
“People do not care and larvae are often found inside houses where water is stored including coolers, open tanks and basements.”
Additional Medical Superintendent (AMS) Holy Family Hospital (HFH) Dr Tariq Niazi said that the hospital staff in the dengue wards was performing its duty round the clock.
“A total of 172 patients were confirmed last night and 105 more patients were admitted in the three hospitals— nine in BBH, 53 in HHF and 43 in DHQ.”
BBH focal person Dr Fouzia Sultana confirmed that four of the nine patients admitted to the hospital during the last 24 hours have been tested positive.
She explained that low lying areas are potential breeding sites for the mosquito because of lack of proper sewerage system. “The situation has worsened after the rains,” she added.
Benazir Bhutto Hospital Medical Superintendent Dr Asif Qadir Mir said that a total of 46 confirmed patients have been admitted to the hospital since July 1.
DHQ focal person Dr Shahid said that nine out of 43 patients admitted to the hospital till Friday have tested positive while others are waiting their results.
District Health Officer Dr Khalid Randhawa said that a comprehensive plan has been formulated to deal with the situation. Rawal Town has been divided into red, yellow and green zones. The focus of the administration, he added, would be on the red one because it included the most affected areas — Dhok Ratta, Khayaban-i-Sir Syed, Hazara Colony, Chamanzar Colony and Mohanpura. The yellow areas included those where one or two cases have been reported while no cases have so far been received from the green areas.
“No death has been reported from the Rawalpindi division due to the fever so far,” he claimed adding that out of the two patients who died one belonged to Haripur and the other, Zubaida Bibi, from Azad Kashmir died due to gynaecological complications.
However, a nurse from HFH dengue ward requesting not to be named revealed that Zubaida died of dengue though she did face gynaecological complications.
She added that 34 out of 53 patients admitted in the hospital till Friday had tested positive while 13 results are awaited. She added that most of the patients are from Gawalmandi, Dhok Hassu and Dhok Ratta.
Anti-dengue plan
Meanwhile the city district government has chalked out a plan to implement and monitor dengue control activities of all departments.
Performance of all departments will be evaluated on a daily basis to control the virus, revealed Punjab Chief Minister’s adviser on health Khawaja Salman Rafique while presiding over a meeting at the commissioner’s office on Friday.
He said that keeping in view the prevalence of dengue in high risk areas special teams have been constituted to perform duties in the affected union councils.
High risk areas have been kept under strict surveillance so that immediate remedial measures should be adopted to clear the areas of mosquito larvae.
The adviser added that he will personally visit the Rawalpindi hospitals. He also ensured provision of required funds for procurement of medicines.
It was also informed that a control room has been set up at the executive district officer (EDO) health’s office at Khayaban-e-Sir Syed, where health officials had been deputed to attend to any emergency or give information about dengue control activities.
The meeting was informed that separate beds along with required medicines had been allocated in Holy Family Hospital, District Headquarter Hospital and Benazir Bhutto Hospital.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 11th, 2014.
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The PML-N led government gives zero importance to health and education: the two building blocks of a society.
After the PML-N government their ally PPP will come into power after next elections. The cycle of corruption will continue realistically speaking Pakistan will have a very dark future under these corrupt parties.