PHOTO: WASEEM NIAZ
He was chairing a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Dengue at the Civil Secretariat.
“The first phase of dengue season is over. The next phase will start with the monsoon rains. The government departments should remain alert,” he said.
The meeting was informed about dengue control and awareness activities by the officers of Auqaf, Environment, Zakat and Ushr, Information and Culture, Agriculture, Higher Education and School Education, Fisheries, Transport, Finance, Local Government, Irrigation, Youth Affairs, Food, Labour, Cooperatives Departments, the WASA and the Rescue 1122.
Public health experts, clinicians, entomologists and epidemiologists, representatives of Pakistan Railways and the Metrological Department also attended the meeting.
The meeting was informed that graveyards, tyre shops, junkyards, water ponds and construction sites were being surveyed constantly for dengue larvae.
The officials also informed the meeting about the steps taken to observe the International Dengue Day on June 15.
Rafique expressed concern over reports of dengue larvae detection in several union councils of Rawalpindi and Taxila. He directed the Rawalpindi Health EDO to conduct a survey of the area. The meeting was also informed that dengue larvae had been reported from some construction sites in Multan cantonment.
Rafique directed that senior Cantonment Board officers be asked to address the problem.
Separately, Rafique said that steps were being taken to functionalise cardiology units of tertiary hospitals in order to decrease the workload of the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC).
He was chairing a meeting of senior cardiologists of teaching hospitals to evolve a strategy to make cardiology units of government hospitals fully functional.
“Recommendations have been sought from teaching hospitals, especially those in Lahore, regarding the requirements of staff, medical equipment, infrastructure and funds to make their cardiology units fully functional,” he said.
Health Secretary Jawad Rafiq Malik, Health Services Director General Dr Zahid Pervaiz, PIC Chief Executive Prof Bilal Zakariya Khan, Prof Zubair of Jinnah Hospital, Prof Shehryar of Gulab Devi Hospital, Prof Saqib Shafi of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Associate Prof Dr Bilqees of Mayo Hospital and Associate Professors of Multan Institute of Cardiology, Rawalpindi Institute of Cardiology, Faisalabad Institute of Cardiology and Shaikh Zayed Hospital Lahore attended the meeting.
The meeting decided that Bilal Zakariya Khan would submit a consolidated report regarding the recommendations about the issue. In this regard, a meeting will be held at the PIC on June 17.
Rafique said that Gulab Devi Hospital’s cardiac care department was providing good services to the patients. “Cardiac patients may be referred from the PIC and other teaching hospitals to Gulab Devi Hospital for surgery and other procedures. For this purpose, the government will provide funds to the hospital,
He said that a formal contract would be signed between the Health Department and the Gulab Devi Hospital in this regard.
“The objective of these steps is to mitigate the difficulties of cardiac patients and to enhance treatment facilities,” he said.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 11th, 2015.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ