Punjab Minister for Specialized Healthcare & Medical Education (SH&ME) Kh. Salman Rafique has said that with the change of weather & increase in the temperature, the dengue season of 2018 has began therefore, all the departments should start anti-dengue measures according to the SOPs & dengue surveillance activities should be carried out in full swing. He has said that anti-dengue campaign is being run for the last 7-8 years & now there should be no confusion to any department in implementation on the standard operating procedures for dengue control. He also directed that all the departments should send their demand of contingency staff to the government so that issue of human resource could not be faced in the peak season.
He stated this, while presiding over a meeting of Cabinet Committee on Dengue in the S&GAD committee room in Civil Secretariat on Friday. Minister Primary & Secondary Health (P&SH) Kh. Imran Nazir also attended the meeting. Cabinet Committee has gave approval for regularization of contractual dengue staff. Kh. Imran Nazir directed the department to send the case to the government for regularization of the dengue staff immediately. Director General (DG) Health Dr Akhtar Rasheed Malik, Additional Director General Dengue Control Dr Shahnaz, CEO Health Lahore Dr Yaddullah, Professor Waseem Akram, Public Health Experts, DEAG team, officers from PITB, Special Branch & other concerned departments were also present in the meeting, while the officers of other districts participated in the proceedings through video link. Dr Shahnaz informed that one confirmed dengue case from each district of Toba Tek Singh, Multan & Rawalpindi has so far been reported. On this occasion Kh. Imran Nazir said that vigorous awareness campaign against dengue is continued for the last 8 years to sensitize the people regarding the preventive measures against dengue, therefore, the time has come that people should not wait dengue surveillance teams to remove the garbage of their houses. He said that people should own their responsibilities to remove stagnant water from their houses, cleanliness & disposing off discarded articles from the rooftops of their houses to check the dengue breeding. Kh. Imran Nazir reprimanded the CEO Health Toba Tek Singh on the insufficient steps taken for dengue control & directed him to appear in the Minister office in Lahoreon Saturday. Minister SH&ME Kh. Salman Rafique stressed that a strong supervision from the administration of the government hospitals is needed to ensure case reporting & case management of dengue. He also directed that the workers of dengue surveillance teams must display their identity card issued by the department while visiting the houses. Minister P&SH Kh. Imran Nazir directed all the CEO Health to ensure case response of suspected & conformed dengue cases. Kh. Imran Nazir directed that red stickers also be pasted on the doors of such houses from where dengue larva is reported. The Minister directed the Chief Executive Officers of District Health Authorities to take personal interest in dengue control activities. He said that the officers are taking part in the anti-dengue campaign for the last many years therefore, there is no need to teach them basic SOP’s & TOR’s of dengue control.