The Punjab government has formed a special taskforce to curb the dengue spread which would be headed by Punjab chief secretary. The taskforce will also evolving short and long term policies in this regard
The taskforce started its work on Friday and it will compile a comprehensive data regarding spread of dengue fever in order to formulate government’s future strategy.
Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif also held a meeting on Friday. The CM said a Sri Lankan medical team was working with the provincial health department and the government would fully benefit from its technical assistance. He said master trainers would work for the control of dengue virus. The CM urged upon the provincial ministers, advisors, elected representatives and secretaries to leave no stone unturned to curb the menace of dengue.
He said the bureaucratic formalities should not be allowed to impede the process of exterminating the dengue virus including acquisition of machinery and other material in that regard. He said anything deemed necessary for the campaign against dengue spread would be acquired even if that had to be airlifted from anywhere. He said that private laboratories should not consider the natural calamity of dengue virus as an opportunity for profiteering.
He said that government would not hesitate from a crackdown if the blood-testing charges were not made affordable for the poor. He said that a long-term policy was being evolved to eradicate the dengue virus and a special cadre was being set up for that purpose. He called for a separate chapter to be included in the syllabi from class one regarding awareness against dengue virus.
The chief minister said that all possible resources were being utilised to provide best treatment facilities to the dengue patients. He said eight special clinics would start functioning at various places in the provincial metropolis for which modern machines had been brought from Karachi by air. He said the Social Security Hospital Manga Raiwind Road had also been made exclusively available for dengue patients with modern machinery, air-conditioners and diagnostic facilities.
He said special air-conditioned camps would be set up in hospitals’ lawns to facilitate maximum patients. He said that a plan in that regard should immediately be given a final shape. He said some private hospitals were extending their cooperation in providing free dengue treatment, which was commendable. However, he warned of stern action against those private hospitals which were not providing free treatment to dengue patients.
