—Reprimands officers over failure to implement instructions issued for eradication of dengue
LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar expressing his concern over the alarming rise in dengue cases in Rawalpindi and Lahore reprimanded administrative officers for failing to implement instructions issued for tackling the issue.
Speaking during a high-level meeting held at his office here on Thursday, Usman Buzdar inquired why the dengue disease had not been brought under control despite issuance of SOPs (Standard Operating Procedure). The chief minister added that inquiry would be launched into the matter soon.
He directed the Chief Secretary to identify responsible persons through an investigation and called for action against them in light of the inquiry report. “It is regrettable that administrative officers did not take required steps in time,” he said. “‘All is good’ mantra would not work. It is intolerable that officers are sitting in their offices while people are falling victim to the disease,” he added.
CM Buzdar called for the situation in Rawalpindi to be brought under control and also directed the Islamabad administration to assist in fighting the epidemic.
“Dengue disease should not be allowed to spread since there was no shortage of resources,” said the chief minister, adding that in some case misreporting had also helped spread false information.
The meeting decided to make the anti-dengue campaign more effective and the chief minister directed that anti-dengue monitoring system to be fully implemented and high-alert be issued with regard to dengue in Lahore. “There should be no dengue case and this is my final direction,” the chief minister warned and further said that the health department should maintain close and continuous liaison in order to “combat dengue.”
He said that the performance of five departments with regard to dengue has not amounted to much. “Idleness would not work and the line departments will have to go to the field by shunning their routine,” he said. The chief minister directed that duties be performed proactively to control the dengue disease and the anti-dengue plan should be implemented without delay.
CM Buzdar directed the health department and administrative officers to personally monitor the anti-dengue SOPs and added that field teams should be re-activated along with emergency-response committees at the district level.
The chief minister said that only seven out of 114 big hospitals in Lahore were submitting reports about dengue patients adding that graveyards and tire shops are dengue hotspots which needed to be monitored every week.