KARACHI: City govt told to combat dengue: Effective steps dictated
By Mukhtar Alam
KARACHI, Oct 14: The Sindh health department, in consultation with the representatives of city government and other healthcare facilitators, has taken some decisions for an extended anti-mosquitoes fogging as 41 fresh cases of suspected dengue fever were brought to various hospitals on Saturday.
The health department has also taken the decision to provide dengue-related treatment and test facilities on a subsidised rate to the needy patients.
A meeting of the provincial and local governments’ health officials in presence of the representatives from private hospitals and blood banks was held under the chairmanship of the Sindh Minister for Health Syed Sardar Ahmed to review the prevention and control measures vis-a-vis the dengue fever.
The number of in-house suspected VHF cases touched a tally of 155 on Saturday as against 123 on Friday.
A source privy to the meeting said that the participants stressed the city government to bring about some changes in the pace and style of its ongoing drive of fumigation against the vectors responsible for the spread of dengue fever and other such diseases.
The meeting urged the city government to ensure cleanliness and conduct effective fumigation at vulnerable public places, including schools and government offices, indicating that most VHF patients were reporting to hospitals from slums and rehabilitation colonies, known for their unhygienic conditions.
It was decided at the meeting that the city government would bear half of the expenditure incurring on laboratories tests of the patient with suspected viral haemorrhagic fever. The city government will also bear half of the cost of platelets pack to be provided to the needy patients.
There is no specific treatment for dengue fever, but a careful clinical management by experienced physicians and paramedics is required, with constant monitoring of the platelet count in blood being a must. The meeting also noted that in case of falling platelet count, the patient would have to be given blood.
The meeting was informed that four private hospitals -- the Aga Khan University Hospital, Dr Ziauddin Hospital, Bismillah Taqi Hospital and Liaquat National Hospital – were offering dengue virus diagnostic test and had now agreed to also offer a discount rate of Rs600 per test, half of which would now be borne by the city government. The remaining half could be paid either by the patient or any organisation concerned, said the focal person for dengue fever in Sindh, Capt Dr Abdul Majid, who was present at the meeting.
Similarly, the cost of platelet packs (single), available at the Bismillah Taqi Hospital and Hussaini Blood Bank, would be Rs600 per pack. The city government will also bear half the cost. Dr Majid said that the mega pack of platelets would be provided to a needy patient for Rs7,000 each and half the cost would be borne by the city government.
Health Minister Syed Sardar Ahmed asked the city government to intensify the public education and awareness drive with special focus on dengue fever. The provincial education secretary was asked to ensure effective fumigation in schools as the city government had pledged provision of three spraying machines for the purpose.
The minister asked the education secretary and EDO health to involve schoolchildren in the awareness campaign and provide them with literature on VHF/dengue fever, its prevention and treatment and other related information for distribution.
Syed Sardar Ahmad, however, stressed that there was no need for people to get panicked as the government was taking all possible measures to overcome the problem of dengue fever.
The meeting was attended by Health Secretary Prof Naushad Shaikh, EDO Health Dr A. D. Sajnani, Vice-Chancellor of the Dow University of Health Sciences Prof Masood Hameed Khan, MS Civil Hospital Karachi Dr Kaleem Butt, Chancellor of the Ziauddin University Dr Mohammad Asim, Medical Director of the Liaquat National Hospital Dr Asim Hussain, Dr Tahir Shamsi and other provincial government and CDGK officials.
The meeting was informed that the number of dengue suspected patients since June 2006 had risen to 623. It was told that 18 of such patients had expired whereas a total of 564 had already recovered and have since been discharged.
With the arrival of new patients at different hospitals on Saturday, the situation at these hospitals is as under: Aga Khan University Hospital: 40, Liaquat National Hospital: 36, Civil Hospital Karachi: 20, Dr Ziauddin Hospital: 28, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre: 25, Bismillah Taqi Hospital: 04 and Hamid Hospital: 01.
A child admitted earlier to the National Institute of Child Health, was on Saturday diagnosed a confirmed dengue fever case, said Dr Abdul Majid.
KARACHI, Oct 14: The Sindh health department, in consultation with the representatives of city government and other healthcare facilitators, has taken some decisions for an extended anti-mosquitoes fogging as 41 fresh cases of suspected dengue fever were brought to various hospitals on Saturday.
