‘Disease surveillance system prepared’

LAHORE: Punjab Minister for Primary and Secondary Healthcare Dr Jamal Nasir has informed that Integrated Disease Surveillance & Response (IDSR) reports will be published on weekly basis at district level in order to inform the people about disease trends, outbreak alerts, and crucial public health information.

This sharing of information will help to increase awareness and promote preventive measures within the communities. The minister was addressing the closing session of the staff training workshop of health department as a special guest. Director General Health Dr Ilyas Gondal, Country Lead UK Health Security Agency Dr Muhammad Sartaj, Dr Yadullah, Dr Saeed Ghamman and others were also present on the occasion. Dr Jamal Nasir said that a surveillance of the causes of diseases and an immediate response system has been prepared for combating the outbreak of diseases in Punjab. For this purpose, the training of medical staff in nine districts of Punjab has been completed. Training of medical staff for the remaining districts will be started soon, he added.

The minister told that all government hospitals, basic health units and rural health centres in Punjab have been computerised. Records of diseases and treatment of all patients coming to government hospitals was being preserved.

He told that case histories of patients even in backward and remote areas were being stored digitally. This data of patients will be helpful to take proactive measures to prevent infectious diseases, he added.

The minister said that in the light of this data, in addition to determining the causes of disease outbreaks, measures will also be taken to prevent and control them. Dr Jamal Nasir said that the surveillance system against diseases has been improved in the province. He said that Punjab is actively working in the implementation of international health regulations. It values the technical cooperation of international organisations in the training of doctors and medical personnel for the prevention of infectious diseases. He said that the government had launched an awareness campaign to protect people from dangerous diseases.