‘Only eight chickenpox patients being treated in Punjab province’

LAHORE: At present only eight patients of chickenpox are under treatment in the province out of them five in Allied Hospital Faisalabad and three patients are admitted to Children Hospital Lahore.

It was informed in a meeting chaired by Minister Specialized Healthcare & Medical Education Kh Salman Rafique to review the situation of chickenpox in the province, according to a handout on Monday. Special Secretary Primary & Secondary Health Dr Faisal Zahoor, Additional Secretary (Technical) Primary Health Dr Asim Altaf, Additional Secretary (Technical) Specialized Healthcare Dr Salman Shahid, Medical Director Children Hospital Lahore Prof Ehsan Waheed Rathore and Director Communicable Disease Control Programme Dr Muhammad Bashir were present in the meeting. Prof Fareed Zafar and Allied Hospital Faisalabad MS and the officers from other affected districts attended the meeting through a video link.

Dr Muhammad Bashir said that during the current year so far 3,950 confirmed chickenpox cases have been reported in Punjab. He pointed out some problems in data entry of the patients. He said in some cases double entry of the patients is being made and when the old patients come again for the treatment in the hospital on the direction of the consultant, the staff again registered the patient as new patient.

The minister said chickenpox patients should be registered one time and on the second visit of the patient he/she must be identified with the old registration number. He said treatment of chickenpox patients should be carried out according to the guidelines of WHO and health experts and no leniency should be shown in patient take care.Director CDC Dr Muhammad Bashir said situation is under control and only eight patients are under treatment in whole province, therefore, people should not become worried.