Dengue experts’ team dispatched to Pakhtunkhwa
LAHORE: Punjab Primary and Secondary Health (PPSH) Minister Khawaja Imran Nazir said that the Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has given a blank cheque to help the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government to overcome the dengue epidemic in different parts of the province. The CM has assured that all kind of help, technical expertise and resources would be spent for this purpose, he added.
The minister further said that the people and government of Punjab would extend all out cooperation to our brethren in KP in their hour of distress. He informed that the Primary and Secondary Health Department has already sent a team of experts comprising senior entomologists along with Health Department Additional Director General for dengue control, to Peshawar earlier on Saturday.
The minister further informed that he will also accompany the team along with the convener of the Dengue Experts Advisory Group Professor Dr Faisal Masood, and will reach Peshawar on Saturday evening.
He was speaking to the media representatives at a press conference at Punjab Public Relations Directorate General on Saturday morning. He said that the chief minister has responded immediately to the request of people of the people of KP. The CM immediately directed PPSH minister to contact the authorities in Pakhtunkhwa and offer cooperation. The minister and the PPSH Secretary Ali Jan Khan contacted the KP health minister and secretary health and conveyed the offer of the Punjab CM to help control dengue. The authorities in KP were also informed that the teams of experts were on their way.
Imran Nazir also informed that a mobile health unit from Mianwali has also been moved to Peshawar to provide medical coverage to the dengue patients.
He was of the view that Punjab faced a similar dengue epidemic in 2011 and learnt a lot. It was their time now to extend technical guidelines and training, and what they learnt from their experience in 2011 to those who required it in their hour of need.
The PPSH minister also said that the Punjab government would help the people of KP in the hour of need and set politics aside.
Responding to a question, the minister said that in 2011 Sri Lankan experts helped out Punjab and extended all out cooperation and technical guidelines to control the epidemic. The Punjab government has taken concrete steps and evolved a system for dengue control under the dynamic leadership of Shehbaz Sharif, and today, the very experts of Sri Lanka who helped Punjab, requested help from us to control dengue in Sri Lanka, he added.
He also disclosed that the technical teams from Punjab are also carrying chemicals used in fogging and sprays. Besides, printed literature to create awareness among the people will also be distributed in KP.
In a statement, the Punjab CM has appealed to all leaders and office-bearers of the party to avoid giving any statements which threat and harm the national institutions directly or indirectly.
The chief minister said that the country cannot afford confrontation among the institutions. He added that he feels important to tell the sympathisers of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) to avoid such remarks as they are against the respect and esteem of national institutions.
