Punjab Minister for Specialized Healthcare & Medical Education Salman Rafique directed all concerned government departments and agencies to begin preparatory work for the dengue season heralded by the change in weather conditions. He said that indoor and outdoor dengue surveillance and other counter measures should be taken according to the established standard operation procedures (SOPs).
He stated this while presiding over a meeting of the cabinet committee on dengue at the Civil Secretariat, here on Monday.
Public representatives, Primary and Secondary Health Special Secretary Dr Faisal Zahoor, other officers of the concerned departments and the Deputy Commissioner of Lahore attended the meeting, while deputy commissioners and chief executive officers of district health authorities of Sheikhupura, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, Attock and Multan participated in the meeting through video links.
Dengue Control Additional Director General Dr Farrukh Sultan gave a presentation on the latest dengue situation in the province, training of doctors and staff, and the status of equipment including spray pumps and fogging machines. He also informed the meeting about stock supply of insecticides used in to counter dengue mosquitoes.
Rafique directed that a meeting of medical superintendents of teaching hospitals should also be called to evaluate arrangements for the treatment of dengue patients. He directed complete case management refresher courses for doctors and nurses of the public sector as well as private hospitals through the established dengue expert advisory group.
He directed officers of all the departments to immediately inform the cabinet committee of their financial and human resource needs for dengue control activities so that the relevant departments could be approached to provide the necessities.
The minister said that special attention should be paid to the surveillance of graveyards, junkyards, and construction sites to check dengue breeding.
According to the experts of the meteorological department, night time temperatures have already risen to 15 degrees centigrade, which is enough to be conducive for the breeding of dengue carrying mosquitoes.
Flaws should be removed from indoor and outdoor surveillance procedures with the help of last year’s experiences for an enhanced preparedness at combating dengue, the minister said.