KARACHI: The dire state of public hospitals in Karachi has raised concerns among the visiting delegation of World Health Organization that are in the city to devise a plan to tackle the outbreak of chikungunya.|
Sources in the health department are reported to have said that the visiting WHO delegation has warned that if the current sanitation conditions prevail in the city, the diseases are feared to turn into an epidemic. The statement came after the team surveyed the hospitals in the areas of the city most affected by diseases such as chikungunya and dengue.
The delegation members visited various areas, including Ibrahim Hyderi and Malir, and tertiary care hospitals.
The delegation emphasised the need for a laboratory in Karachi so that people from across Sindh province could get their samples tested within the province rather than having to send them to National Institute of Health in Islamabad.
Furthermore, the delegation showed concerns over 21,000 suspected patients of chikungunya who were being tested or treated at hospitals in the city.
The recommendations of the WHO delegation lead the city mayor to impose emergency in hospitals. Furthermore, he ordered the municipal services to spray the areas to prevent the virus from spreading.
In addition, he ordered setting up of special wards to treat the patients suffering from the diseases. Karachi Mayor Waseem Akram also ordered cancellation of holidays of all the doctors and paramedical staff.