Lahore - Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid has presided over a meeting of cabinet committee at Civil Secretariat on Wednesday to review anti-dengue campaign across the province.

Health Secretary Muhammad Usman briefed the meeting about the ongoing war on dengue. Chief Secretary Yousaf Naseem Khokhar directed DCs to submit a report tomorrow. He also directed the PITB should take steps for data entry in the hospitals of Rawalpindi and Lahore.

Ministers including Saeedul Hassan Jafferi, Raja Yasir and DG Health Services Punjab Dr Haroon Jahangir, Commissioner Lahore Asif Bilal Lodhi, DC Lahore Asghar Joiyaa and other senior officials attended the meeting. The health minister said although normalcy was returning, the health officials were not be allowed to show lethargy. 

According to a handout, Yasmin said on the instructions of Prime Minister Imran Khan anti-dengue activities are being monitored round the clock. She directed that anti-dengue activities should go on till the eradication of dengue.

Another 20 docs from LGH leave for Rawalpindi

“Fake reports would land anyone in trouble. Such officials would be taken to task,” the minister warned 

Chief Secretary Yousaf Naseeem Khokhar directed the PITB should take steps for data entry in the hospitals of Rawalpindi and Lahore.

Meanwhile, the seond group of doctors from Lahore General Hospital (LGH) was sent to Rawalpindi to cope with the dengue challenge.

Principal Post Graduate Medical Institute Prof Dr Sardar Mohammad Alfareed Zafar occasion said that as per the orders of CM these doctors had again be sent to Rawalpindi to joint their colleagues battling against the fever.

These 20 doctors would report to the Vice Chancellor of Rawalpindi Medical University so that they could serve there accordingly.

He said the service of dengue patients was the top most priority and the LGH was on the forefront in that regard as doctors and nurses were continuously busy in Rawalpindi day and night.

He assured that till the normal situation prevailed medical staff of Lahore General Hospital would be there in Rawalpindi.

The PGMI Principal further said that every year special arrangements were ensured in Lahore General Hospital, where special beds and counters were allocated.

Seminar

The Environmental Sciences Department of the University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (UVAS) in collaboration with Lahore Waste Management Company (LWMC) organised a seminar on cleanliness and anti-dengue initiatives.

Vice-Chancellor Prof.Dr Talat Naseer Pasha chaired the concluding session of the seminar while Pro Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Masood Rabbani presided the inaugural session. Head of Communication LWMC Jameel Khawar, Dr Fariha Arooj, officials from LWMC, faculty members and students were present.

Addressing on the occasion, Prof Pasha said, “It is our moral duty to keep neat and clean our environment through our conduct”.

Prof Rabbani said that Islam had given so much importance to cleanliness as it was considered part of the faith. He also mentioned the Hadith “Cleanliness is the half faith”.

Earlier, Deputy Manager Communication LWMC Umair Khan gave a presentation, in which, he spoke about the manual sweeping and waste collection, management, strategy, transportation, treatment and disposal and public awareness programme of LWMC.

Jameel Khawar sought help from volunteer students to work  with LWMC for the awareness and cleanliness of Lahore. Later, LWMC installed recycle bins outside the Department of Environmental Sciences.

As per Dengue Expert Advisory Group (DEAG, government was recruiting doctors, nurses and field staff on adhoc basis to cope with the challenges. Public is getting free screening facility and treatment at all public sector hospitals in the province. Rawalpindi, sensitive district, is focus where five mobile screening units are extending facility of tests free of cost. Two more mobile screening units will be added to the existing facility to cope with increasing number of suspect dengue patients.

As per the DEAG, health department teams are carrying out outdoor and indoor surveillance for detecting larvae. On Tuesday, teams inspected 206034 premises.