ISLAMABAD: Although the World Health Organisation’s mission, which arrived in Pakistan at the start of the week to assess measures taken by the government to deal with Ebola virus, is yet to release its recommendations, the Ministry of National Health Services (NHS) has asked the provinces to redress concerns expressed by members of the team during their visits to different areas.

The WHO team has visited different airports, major gateways to Pakistan, hospitals, laboratories and other places and met officials to ensure that precautionary measures are in place to deal with the deadly virus.

An official of the NHS ministry said the WHO team had expressed concern over the arrangements made in isolation wards set up at hospitals for Ebola patients. “While it has to be ensured that EVD (Ebola virus disease) patients will not go out of the isolation wards, the WHO team found that there were no kitchens and toilets in the wards. This suggests that Ebola patients will be using kitchens and toilets of other wards in hospitals. Also the crockery used by the patients would be washed out of the isolation wards,” he said.

The official said the WHO team had suggested that in case of death of a patient suffering from EVD, standard operating procedures be adopted for his burial.

According to an official statement issued on Friday, NHS Director General Dr Asad Hafeez reviewed plans and areas identified for strengthening. The provincial governments have been asked to strengthen isolation facilities in tertiary care hospitals. Airport managers have been directed to hold regular meetings of the focus groups constituted for the purpose.

Team finds no kitchens, toilets in wards set up for Ebola patients

Talking to Dawn, Dr Hafeez said that although isolation wards had been set up in hospitals in the provinces and the federal capital, the WHO team was of the opinion that some architectural requirements were missing. “Hospitals have been instructed to ensure toilets and kitchens in the isolation wards,” he said.

He claimed that the WHO team had appreciated most of the arrangements made by the government. “We have a bio-safety level three (BSL-III) laboratory at the National Institute of Health (NIH) in Islamabad, which is not available in 22 countries of the Eastern Mediterranean Region. The team is satisfied with the lab and it may allow us to do preliminary tests in Pakistan. WHO may also send Ebola diagnostic kits.”

Dr Hafeez said the team also agreed with the idea of initially installing thermal scanners and safety kits and setting up isolation wards at Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi airports and then all over the country. The team also welcomed the idea of a rapid response team at the federal level and suggested that it should also be set up at provincial level.

He said that in the isolation ward as many as 42 workers had to be deputed for one patient and it was impossible for a person to wear safety kit/dress for more than three hours.

About the burial of an EVD patient, Dr Hafeez said that since virus mostly spread at the time of burial or during preparations, it had been decided that procedures for such occasion would be fully followed. “We are also trying to set up a long-term surveillance system to deal with Ebola virus,” he said.

Published in Dawn, November 29th , 2014