KARACHI: Contingency plan to prevent epidemics implemented
KARACHI, Aug 2: To prevent an outbreak of any epidemic in the wake of widespread rains, the health department of city government has implemented a contingency plan under which coordination centres and emergency medical camps have been set up whereas an anti-malaria fumigation drive will be launched on Aug 7.
The medical camps have been added to at all relief centres set up for the people rendered homeless or evacuated from their homes in Sindh. The directives to this effect had been issued by the DG Health Services on July 29 to all the EDOs (health).
In Karachi, 23 such camps have been established in Gulberg, Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Keamari, Liaquatabad, New Karachi, North Nazimabad and Bin Qasim towns while six mobile camps are operating for the outlying areas.
While these camps have been established for displaced persons, more than 360 units of health department have been declared as rain emergency centres where additional medicines for typhoid, snake-bite and malaria prevention/treatment besides extra quantity of EPI vaccines have been made available.
The main emphasises is to check the number of patients suffering from diarrhoea, conjunctivitis, fever and skin disease. This check list is forwarded to the EDO office from the respective camps on daily basis to keep a record of any endemic-like situation.
Besides, the department has established 19 coordination centres in each town and another one, with the main rain emergency centre of city government, for places where its services are required.
For the treatment of snake-bite, which is a regular occurrence in rains mainly in rural areas, special directives have been issued to the town health officers of Gadap, Bin Qasim, Malir, Keamari and New Karachi towns.
However, no case of snake-bite has been reported at any of the centres during the current spell of rains.
DONATION: The EDO (health), Dr Ali Nawaz Shaikh, chaired a meeting of his department officials on Saturday to review the emergency relief measures pertaining to health and cleanliness in the rain-hit areas.
The meeting decided that the food and medicine expenses being incurred in providing relief to the affected people living in relief camps in different towns of the city would be met through the Rs1.5 million donation of Karachi Stock Exchange for five days with the assistance by the respective town administrations.—PPI
