RAWALPINDI: With the Rawalpindi and Chaklala Cantonment Boards refusing to organise the anti-dengue campaign in the city, the provincial government has decided to appoint 1067 employees for the campaign.

A senior health official told Dawn the cantonment board officials refused to organise the campaign and said the Punjab Health Department should launch the anti-dengue campaign as they successfully managed the polio and measles vaccination campaigns as well.

The official said that taking preventive measures against the outbreak of any disease in the district is the responsibility of the health department. He said in the last dengue season, the City District Government Rawalpindi (CDGR) blamed the cantonment boards for the outbreak of dengue in the city, citing the ineffectiveness of the anti-dengue campaign as the reason.

He said the District Health Department requested the provincial government to provide workers for the campaign in both the cantonment and city areas. He said two seats for Deputy District Health Officers in Cantonment and Rawal Town areas were also allocated but this request was refused by the provincial government.

In 2014, there were over 1363 cases of dengue reported in the garrison city. Close to 730 dengue patients arrived at the Holy Family Hospital, 420 at Benazir Bhutto Hospital and 212 arrived at the District Headquarters Hospital.

Most of the dengue cases were reported in the city downtown, especially Gawalmandi, Mohanpura, Khayaban-i-Sir Syed and Dhoke Ratta areas located by the Leh Nullah.

Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister’s Adviser on Health Khawaja Sulman Rafique visited the garrison city to review the anti-dengue activities in Rawalpindi. Commissioner Zahid Saeed, District Coordination Officer Sajad Zafar, Additional Director General Health Dr. Islam Zafar and officials of government departments held a meeting with Sulman Rafique.

“Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has given approval to the appointment of 1067 dengue workers in Rawalpindi and the process would begin soon,” the health department official said.

Sulman Rafique also inquired about the stocks of medicines and insecticides available with the health authorities and treatment facilities at local teaching hospitals.

He said general medical practitioners may be included in the training programmes and the health department should also be in touch with private sector doctors so they can refer dengue patients to the nearest government hospital.

Mr Rafique said arrangements would be made to ensure ‘larviciding’ in the city, which prevents larvae from developing into adult mosquitoes. District Government and the Health Department would be working together to carry out larviciding in the garrison city.

He said all government departments and organisations have been instructed to keep a watch on indoor and outdoor larvae and adopt timely preventive measures.

General Health Additional Director told the participants about the responsibilities assigned to various departments in controlling dengue before it becomes an epidemic.

Commissioner Zahid Saeed said that government departments and representatives of allied organisations were well aware of their responsibilities and they had worked very efficiently in the previous anti dengue campaigns.

He said that departments had been instructed to work in close coordination with one another to eliminate larvae.

Published in Dawn, March 28th, 2015

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