Viral diseases in monsoon: arrangements finalised for checking outbreak

In the wake of expected flood in monsoon season, the Punjab health department has finalised necessary arrangements for checking outbreak of viral diseases and provision of health facilities to people. The department has sufficient stock of medicines, anti-mosquito chemical and spray pumps which will be provided, where required, by July 10.
Special Secretary Health Punjab Wasim Mukhtar chaired a meeting of district officers here on Friday, that reviewed in detail the arrangements made for the expected flood in the province and necessary instructions were issued to EDOs. The Special Secretary directed that meetings of District Co-ordination Committees should be held regularly in this regard.
The meeting decided that inter-district evaluation will be conducted from July 3 to 9 for reviewing efficiency of health department. A training workshop will be held on June 30 in Lahore, which will be attended by two senior officers of health department from each district. The officers of one district will evaluate efficiency of the other district.
Director General Health issued instructions for ensuring attendance of skilled birth attendants in rural health centers in the evening and night shifts. He also directed that performance of the staff at such health centers should be improved where fewer than 20 child births take place. He said that a social mobilisation campaign should be launched so that pregnant women should visit health centers for delivery.
He directed lady health visitors to improve registration work of pregnant women and expressed his dissatisfaction over the performance of such LHVs who register fewer than 12 women. The meeting also reviewed coverage of anti-polio campaign as well as the routine programme of child vaccination. Special Secretary Health said that district programme managers will also be held responsible for the flaws and shortcomings in health programmes at district level and action will be taken against the officers showing poor performance.
Besides Health Department officers, Dr Debra Betal of WHO and Dr Rana Mushtaq of Unicef also attended the meeting. It may be noted that Punjab has a unique situation of a double burden of disease where the preventable diseases still take heavy toll and diseases. The policy of the government is to consolidate the existing health facilities instead of creating new infrastructure.
Health professionals told Business Recorder that co-ordinated efforts are needed to cope with rising cases of infectious diseases including polio, tuberculosis, dengue, malaria and respiratory infections. They maintained that rising disease burden is mainly due to low government budgetary spending on healthcare, increasing poverty, dismal literacy rate and lack of awareness amongst public about preventive measures. Tuberculosis, malaria, HIV/AIDS, measles, pneumonia and diarrhoeal diseases are directly linked to poverty, hence, are on rise. In addition to alarming number of maternal, infant and child mortality, a large number of respiratory tract infections, gastro and skin infections were reported, they added.