‘Dengue patients pouring into Rawalpindi hospitals from Islamabad area’

Lahore DCO says situation in DHA improving due to strict monitoring policy

LAHORE: Adviser to Chief Minister on Health Khawaja Salman Rafique has said that dengue patients are regularly pouring in the hospitals of Rawalpindi from the adjacent areas of Islamabad.

He urged upon the administration of Islamabad to take concrete dengue surveillance measures so that dengue could not turn into epidemic.He expressed these views while chairing a Cabinet Committee meeting on dengue via video link from Rawalpindi in S&GAD Committee Room, Civil Secretariat, according to a handout issued here on Thursday.

Besides elected public representatives, Specialised Healthcare and Medical Education Secretary Najam Ahmed Shah,  environment secretary, senior officers of all the departments concerned were present. Commissioners and DCOs of Multan, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Rawalpindi, Sheikhupura, Nankana Sahab, Kasur, Jhelum and Attock also attended the meeting through video link.

Lahore DCO Capt (R) Muhammad Usman informed the meeting that the monitoring of dengue surveillance activities in Defence Housing Authority (DHA) was being done by the City District Government and due to strict monitoring policy the situation in the DHA was improving day by day.

The PITB director informed the meeting that in September no dengue related activity had so far been uploaded by the CDA or Islamabad administration on the dashboard of PITB.Kh Salman Rafique said that he had previously held several meetings with the authorities in Islamabad and their attention was drawn to this important issue. He said that he was again on visit to Rawalpindi for this purpose. He said that he was in close contact with them and situation would soon be controlled. The senior officers of different departments, divisional commissioners and DCOs briefed the meeting on the outdoor/indoor dengue surveillance activities carried out by the various departments to check dengue in their districts.