LAHORE:Punjab Chief Secretary Kamran Ali Afzal directed the Health Department on Saturday to make necessary arrangements in hospitals, besides asking the divisional commissioners and deputy commissioners to check health facilities in their areas, in the wake of increasing cases of dengue.
He issued the direction while presiding over a meeting at the Civil Secretariat. The meeting reviewed the measures being taken to control dengue in the province.
The chief secretary said that it was alarming that more dengue cases had been reported this year than last year. He said that the departments should ensure implementation of anti-dengue standard operating procedures (SOPs), adding that the responsibility of the third party validation had been assigned to the departments of local government and agriculture. “For eradication of dengue, the government institutions and the civil society all have to work together and the negligence of anyone can lead to the failure of joint efforts against dengue.” he added.
The chief secretary also directed the authorities concerned to further improve the process of monitoring, surveillance and case response of dengue. He urged citizens to supplement the government efforts to overcome dengue by ensuring cleanliness and removing standing water from rooftops and other places within homes. He said that a special campaign should be started to raise awareness about dengue.
The officials of the Health Department gave a detailed briefing to the meeting. They said that 256 confirmed cases of dengue and two deaths had been reported in the province so far this year. They mentioned that 519 cases have been registered over violation of the dengue SOPs in a week.
The meeting was attended by the Chairman P&D, administrative secretaries of health, local government, environment and officers concerned while all divisional commissioners and deputy commissioners participated through video-link.