All-out drive to curb seasonal diseases begins

Hyderabad: A high-level meeting was held in the GHMC main office on Wednesday to review the measures to be taken to curb seasonal diseases in the city.

Telangana Health Minister Eatala Rajender, Home Minister Mahmood Ali, Labour Minister Malla Reddy, Chief Secretary of Health Department Shanta Kumari, GHMC Commissioner Lokesh Kumar and officials from various government departments participated in the review meeting.

Rajender instructed the officials of GHMC, municipalities and DMHOs of Medak, Ranga Reddy, Medchal and Sanga Reddy to ensure regular fogging and spraying at vulnerable places and to take timely treatment of water and vector borne disease effected persons and to take special drive on sanitation in order to control and spread of seasonal diseases.

A special drive should be taken to lift garbage by engaging more man power, machinery and vehicles on war footing and spraying and fogging operations be conducted in all localities and in private and government schools. Required budget will be sanctioned to tackle the problems. It is also the responsibility of the owners of open plots to keep clean where garbage and debris accumulated. Apart from taking preventive measures for government side, only on participation of citizens and their involvement in these measures gives desired results.

The minister said the medical officers should not apply for leaves for one-and-a-half months. Special counters were opened in Osmania General Hospital, Gandhi Hospital apart from 95 Urban Health Centres to attend to the patients and 25 special Counters are working in attending the patients.

Various decisions were taken in the meeting to prevent communicable diseases, including increase spraying and fogging in government and private schools to prevent mosquitoes, establishing evening clinics in urban health centers and cancelling the holidays of staff of health and entomology departments and conducting extensive sanitations programmes throughout the city.

Speaking on the occasion, the Health Minister described the health situation as normal, and that there are no alarming reports of spread of seasonal diseases. Compared to 2017, the spread of dengue fever is very nominal this year, he said. The GHMC officials have been instructed to undertake preventive measures to curb seasonal diseases, he said. Apart from the preventive measures, spraying and fogging will also be done at all the private and government schools to prevent mosquito-borne diseases, the minister said.

Fogging at private schools would be done with the help from school managements, he said. For the first time in the state history, evening clinics have been opened at all the major hospitals in the city, such as Osmania, Gandhi and Fever hospital, and at 95 urban care centers. At Fever Hospital alone, 25 counters were opened for the treatment of viral and seasonal fever patients, the minister said.

Special sanitation drive will be conducted at all slums, bastis and colonies in all the municipalities in the city and on city outskirts. Permissions will be given to appoint temporary staff, in case of labour scarcity.

The minister instructed the officials of the entomology department to take necessary measures, such as spraying and fogging to prevent the spread of mosquitoes in city.

Expressing concern over waste dumps in vacant plots, he said that owners of the vacant plots would be held responsible for unclean surroundings. Special medical camps will be organised in the city and on city outskirts with the help of private medical colleges, Eatela said.

The minister urged the officials of the GHMC, health department and Jalamandali to act in concerted manner to prevent seasonal diseases in the city. He also urged people to cooperate with government officials as measures taken up by government alone would not be successful without the participation of basti committees, colony welfare associations and colony residents.

Home Minister Mahmood Ali explained various measures being taken by the state government in preventing seasonal diseases in the city. He suggested to the officials to take necessary measures to clear garbage on all the main and internal roads in the city to increase cleanliness. Minister for Labour Malla Reddy said that special health camps would be organised in the city with the help of private medical colleges.

Mayor Dr Bonthu Rammohan said awareness campaigns should be taken up by IEC/ NCC/NSS/SHGs/ NGOs to educate the public on preventing the spread of mosquitoes, by adopting every Friday as dry day. He instructed deputy and zonal commissioners to tour the areas that are most affected by the viral and seasonal diseases and to take up necessary measures to prevent diseases. He made it clear that there is no need to be worried about the health situation in the city.

GHMC Commissioner Lokesh Kumar said that GHMC has been going with a three-pronged plan to prevent seasonal diseases. Special fogging and spraying in affected areas, long-term steps to prevent and eradicate diseases such as malaria, dengue and chikungunya.

All major government hospitals and urban care centres are provided with adequate staff, medicines and facilities to handle any situation. After the meeting, the ministers released a pamphlet, designed by GHMC, appealing to the citizens to observe every Friday as dry day.