TAXILA: General Officer Commanding (GOC) Maj General Majid Jehangir on Sunday reviewed precautionary measures against coronavirus (Covid-19) taken by the health department and local administrationin of Attock.

During his visit, Mr Jehangir checked preparedness of the administration in the face of the Covid-19 outbreak. Besides inspecting facilities at District Headquarters Hospital (DHQ)’s isolation ward, he visited the control room established to monitor the situation in the district.

Rawalpindi Commissioner retired Capt Mohammad Mehmood, Attock Deputy Commissioner Ali Anan Qammar, District Police Officer Khalid Hamdani and health, army and local administration officials were also present.

Mr Jehangir was also given a briefing at the deputy commissioner’s officeabout the current statistics, action taken, issues and future planning.

District Health Authority Chief Executive Officer Dr Sohail Ejaz stressed geographical sensitivity of the district because it borders with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on one side and Rawalpindi on the other. He suggested that authorities should activate permanent transit posts for strict monitoring of commuters to stop transmission from suspected or positive cases as per the rules stated in World Health Organisation’s Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI).

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Mehmood called for a database by profiling of health professionals, volunteers and 1122 paramedics who can help in case of an emergency.

Sketching out a road map for the future, he directed the concerned authorities to define cultural and ethnic backgrounds of different areas so that a lockdown could be done to overcome the burden of disease.

He said burial plans must be defined and staff be trained as per the standard operating procedure (SOP).

A comprehensive human resource (HR) plan for medical, janitorial, security and support staff must be devised, he said, adding hospitals’ capacity to take in patients must be increased by 30pc at least.

District Health Officer (preventive services) Dr Asad Ismail gave a briefing about the district’s rapid response teams and how many screenings had been done so far. He said online data submission was helping trace, track and treat patients.

Talking to press, Dr Ejaz said the core purpose of the meeting was to strengthen civil-military coordination in combating Covid-19. Statistics were reviewed along with situation analysis and future strategy, he added.

Mr Jehangir lauded efforts of the district administration and health authorities in controlling spread of Covid-19 in the district. He praised the health staff deputed at the isolation ward for their dedication.

“The military stands with the nation in every crucial time and is ready to support all functionaries in meeting challenges,” he said.

Later, he visited Gharibwal village in Pindigheb where the first Covid-19 positive case was confirmed and a number suspected cases have emerged.

He was briefed about preventive measures by the local administration.

Published in Dawn, March 30th, 2020