LAHORE, April 8: The city government has decided to start screening of all the students studying in its 1,500 schools for ear, eye and heart problems.

This was stated by EDO (health) Dr Abdul Qayyum at a news conference at his office on Tuesday.

Dr Qayyum said three DOs have been asked to chalk out a plan in their respective union councils in consultation with the heads of schools for check-up of students and for their treatment at the Institute of Child Health.

He said the CDG would form 1,500 teams led by a doctor to check the students simultaneously. Every team would also be given a health card to note every student’s profile.

Dr Qayyum said the CDG was taking measures to kill stray dogs in the city. It had issued tenders to purchase 20 kgs of poison and some 25,000 cartridges worth Rs250,000 directly from the Wah Ordnance Factory. Special squads would kill and bury stray dogs outside the city, he added.

He claimed the CDG had also made arrangements to spray insecticide to kill mosquitoes in selected areas. No malaria case had so far been reported in the city, he said.

He said the CDG had also launched a campaign against food and medicine adulteration. During the last two weeks, its officials collected 45 medicine and 792 food samples. It had imposed fine of Rs134,000 for adulteration in medicines.

He said the District Quality Control Board was holding meetings on monthly basis and sent 221 of 281 cases to drug courts for prosecution.

Dr Qayyum said the health department would observe three-day national immunization programme from April 15 to vaccinate children through 2,496 mobile teams and 239 static teams.