Sindh’s one-man army takes on millions of dengue mosquitoes
Dr Masood Ahmed Solangi is the Sindh government’s entire dengue control programme.
Dr Masood Ahmed Solangi is the Sindh government’s entire dengue control programme. DESIGN: MOHSIN ALAM
KARACHI:
Sindh’s war against the deadly dengue mosquitoes is getting quite ridiculous. The sneaky winged bugs have reportedly infected over 3,000 people in the current year, with eight people having died as a result.
But you need not fear anymore. The Sindh government has the perfect weapon: the man with the phone. This man has taken it upon himself to rid the province of the deadly mosquitoes. He sits in his one-room office in the premises of the Benazir Bhutto Youth Development Programme situated at the Services Hospital, swatting them all day long. And if you ever need him, he is just a call away.
Pakistan update: Six dead, thousands test positive for dengue
This man goes by the name of Dr Masood Ahmed Solangi. You may have read of him in this very newspaper. In fact, when it comes to dengue in Sindh, he is the only man you may have heard from. For Dr Solangi is the Sindh government’s Dengue Prevention and Control Programme (DPCP) in its entirety.
Lip service
The provincial government had set up a temporary ‘Dengue Surveillance Cell’ in 2005. It was converted to the Dengue Prevention and Control Program (DPCP) this year, after the number of patients affected by the virus rose unprecedentedly this year.
With 34 deaths in 2014, the provincial government announced Rs41million for the programme. Not a single rupee was released. The amount lapsed and the DPCP is currently liable to pay Rs21million to various contractors.
Safety first: All 940 dengue cases in Sindh originate in Karachi
At least eight employees, including six field workers, one social mobiliser and one computer operator, were appointed on a temporary basis last year. They all left after not having been paid for six months.
Currently, the entire provincial programme is run by one man — the provincial programme manager, Dr Solangi. Three doctors from Civil Hospital, Karachi, have been transferred to support him temporarily. He runs the programme through a cellular phone. The DPCP seems to be yet another face-saving scheme for the Sindh health department’s performance.
Baby steps
According to the health secretary, Saeed Ahmed Mangnejo, it is an initial step. “The DPCP will be made permanent by next year,” he told The Express Tribune, adding that the basic objective of the programme was to collect data from different hospitals and liaise between the various departments.
With reports of suspected dengue cases, K-P rests easy on ‘false positives’
Speaking about the numbers, the health secretary said that there were 1,700 dengue cases in Sindh last year, 34 of whom had died. “The number of cases has increased this year, but not deaths,” he justified. It is not just the case with Sindh. All provinces are facing almost the same situation, he reasoned.
Health experts believe dengue cannot be wiped out from the country. According to the director of the National Institute of Blood Diseases, Dr Tahir Shamsi, Singapore is the only country in the world that has completely controlled dengue mosquitoes.
“This isn’t the right time to take action,” explained Dr Shamsi, adding that the authorities must understand the issue. Precautionary measures against the mosquitoes must be taken in April and May. By now, the breeding season is already over and the mosquitoes have matured. According to Dr Shamsi, anti-dengue sprays must be done in April and May to kill the mosquito larvae and prevent them from maturing.
Healthcare: 1,002 people diagnosed with dengue this year
Though dengue fever cases have been reported from across the province, Dr Solangi believes the virus is most endemic in Karachi. “It is an urban disease,” he said. For now, however, the programme’s activities are only limited to awareness campaigns, with the DPCP having distributed one million pamphlets over the last two years.
Doctors believe that the DPCP will be dormant once again after November and its officials will cry when cases will surface next year. For their part, the health authorities claim that the DPCP will take time to work independently as it faces a number of issues at the moment. “We are totally dependent on other agencies such as the Karachi Metropolitan Corpo-ration and the revenue department’s officials,” Dr Solangi commented.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 2nd, 2015.
Sindh’s war against the deadly dengue mosquitoes is getting quite ridiculous. The sneaky winged bugs have reportedly infected over 3,000 people in the current year, with eight people having died as a result.
But you need not fear anymore. The Sindh government has the perfect weapon: the man with the phone. This man has taken it upon himself to rid the province of the deadly mosquitoes. He sits in his one-room office in the premises of the Benazir Bhutto Youth Development Programme situated at the Services Hospital, swatting them all day long. And if you ever need him, he is just a call away.
Pakistan update: Six dead, thousands test positive for dengue
This man goes by the name of Dr Masood Ahmed Solangi. You may have read of him in this very newspaper. In fact, when it comes to dengue in Sindh, he is the only man you may have heard from. For Dr Solangi is the Sindh government’s Dengue Prevention and Control Programme (DPCP) in its entirety.
Lip service
The provincial government had set up a temporary ‘Dengue Surveillance Cell’ in 2005. It was converted to the Dengue Prevention and Control Program (DPCP) this year, after the number of patients affected by the virus rose unprecedentedly this year.
With 34 deaths in 2014, the provincial government announced Rs41million for the programme. Not a single rupee was released. The amount lapsed and the DPCP is currently liable to pay Rs21million to various contractors.
Safety first: All 940 dengue cases in Sindh originate in Karachi
At least eight employees, including six field workers, one social mobiliser and one computer operator, were appointed on a temporary basis last year. They all left after not having been paid for six months.
Currently, the entire provincial programme is run by one man — the provincial programme manager, Dr Solangi. Three doctors from Civil Hospital, Karachi, have been transferred to support him temporarily. He runs the programme through a cellular phone. The DPCP seems to be yet another face-saving scheme for the Sindh health department’s performance.
Baby steps
According to the health secretary, Saeed Ahmed Mangnejo, it is an initial step. “The DPCP will be made permanent by next year,” he told The Express Tribune, adding that the basic objective of the programme was to collect data from different hospitals and liaise between the various departments.
With reports of suspected dengue cases, K-P rests easy on ‘false positives’
Speaking about the numbers, the health secretary said that there were 1,700 dengue cases in Sindh last year, 34 of whom had died. “The number of cases has increased this year, but not deaths,” he justified. It is not just the case with Sindh. All provinces are facing almost the same situation, he reasoned.
Health experts believe dengue cannot be wiped out from the country. According to the director of the National Institute of Blood Diseases, Dr Tahir Shamsi, Singapore is the only country in the world that has completely controlled dengue mosquitoes.
“This isn’t the right time to take action,” explained Dr Shamsi, adding that the authorities must understand the issue. Precautionary measures against the mosquitoes must be taken in April and May. By now, the breeding season is already over and the mosquitoes have matured. According to Dr Shamsi, anti-dengue sprays must be done in April and May to kill the mosquito larvae and prevent them from maturing.
Healthcare: 1,002 people diagnosed with dengue this year
Though dengue fever cases have been reported from across the province, Dr Solangi believes the virus is most endemic in Karachi. “It is an urban disease,” he said. For now, however, the programme’s activities are only limited to awareness campaigns, with the DPCP having distributed one million pamphlets over the last two years.
Doctors believe that the DPCP will be dormant once again after November and its officials will cry when cases will surface next year. For their part, the health authorities claim that the DPCP will take time to work independently as it faces a number of issues at the moment. “We are totally dependent on other agencies such as the Karachi Metropolitan Corpo-ration and the revenue department’s officials,” Dr Solangi commented.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 2nd, 2015.