Health department demands services of 1,062 female workers

Rawalpindi
The district health department has asked the provincial government to provide it with services of at least 1,062 female health workers and two deputy district health officers for surveillance against dengue fever in the Rawalpindi city and areas falling in the jurisdiction of cantonment boards.
The population in the district faced severe outbreaks of dengue fever during last two years, while in 2014 the first confirmed cases of the infection were reported from areas falling in the jurisdiction of cantonment boards.
Executive District Officer (Health) Dr. Khalid Randhawa put the demand for female health workers before Adviser to Punjab Chief Minister on Health Khawaja Salman Rafiq, Punjab Health Secretary Jawad Rafiq and Punjab Director General Health Dr. Zahid Pervez during a briefing at the Commissioner’s Office on Saturday to discuss measures for improvement of primary and secondary public sector healthcare facilities.
The main focus of the district health department is to avoid a possible outbreak of dengue fever in 2015 and we are working hard for it, said Dr. Randhawa while talking to ‘The News’.
He said that apart from briefing the health adviser on indicators for improvement of healthcare facilities at primary and secondary level, he brought into the knowledge of the CM’s adviser the problems being faced by the health department for carrying out surveillance activities against dengue fever particularly in cantonment board areas.
In 2014, the outbreak started from cantonment board areas and half of the total confirmed cases from Rawalpindi district were from areas falling under the jurisdiction of two cantonment board administrations, he said.
He added the cantonment board administrations have not been carrying out surveillance activities in the areas falling under their jurisdiction instead leaving the task to the district health department. I informed the CM’s advisor on health of the situation requesting him to provide additional human resources for surveillance campaigns in cantonment board areas, said Dr. Randhawa.
To a query, he said the district health department has only one deputy DO and it is hardly possible for him to supervise activities in Rawal Town, Potohar Town and cantonment board areas. “I have requested Khawaja Salman Rafiq to sanction posts of two deputy DOs along with 1,062 posts of lady health workers for carrying out activities properly in two towns and areas falling under cantonment boards,” he added.
He said the CM’s advisor is agreed in principal on demands of the health department and assured his maximum possible support to it saying that he would work out for sanctioning of posts demanded on immediate basis.