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Friday March 29, 2024

‘134 influenza cases reported in Punjab’

By our correspondents
January 19, 2018

LAHORE: Punjab Minister for Primary & Secondary Health chaired a technical committee constituted by Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif on H1N1 seasonal influenza at the committee room of Primary & Secondary Health Department on Thursday.

According to a handout issued here, the committee reviewed latest situation of seasonal influenza, especially in Multan and discussed the steps taken to control disease and treat the patients in public sector hospitals. DG, Health, Dr Akhtar Rasheed Malik informed the meeting that so far 134 influenza cases were reported across the Punjab since last August.

He said case response has been carried out to the patients. He said vaccination of doctors and nurses deputed for the treatment of influenza patients had also been completed. Representative of WHO Dr Jamshed was of the view that the real need is to create maximum awareness among people about the disease so that people should adopt preventive measures and use handkerchief or tissue paper while coughing and sneezing to prevent others from the virus. Moreover, people should wash their hands with soap after handshaking with the persons suffering from seasonal influenza.

Dr Jamshed said this message should be communicated house to house through school children and the media. Health Minister Kh Imran Nazir directed disease controlling activities and measures be accelerated and vigorous awareness campaign against seasonal influenza should continue.

He directed media be used for spreading awareness among the masses. Kh Imran Nazir said Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has constituted a technical committee to monitor H1N1 seasonal influenza situation in the province and to take effective measures for the control of the disease and ensure treatment for the patients in public sector hospitals.

The technical committee is fully vigilant and working hard to control the situation, he said. theatres barred from surgeries: While expanding its inspections across the province, the Punjab Healthcare Commission (PHC) has stopped surgeries in 24 operation theatres (OTs) of eight hospitals, and issued show-cause notices to 36 healthcare establishments of five districts for failing to implement Minimum Service Delivery Standards.

According to a press release issued here on Thursday, the hospitals’ administrations were directed to suspend surgeries since the OTs were not fit for carrying out operations. Moreover, notices were also served to 14 hospitals for not taking requisite measures for medical waste.

Out of 24 operation theatres, six were of the DHQ Hospital Gujranwala, four of the Nishter Hospital Multan, four of the Allied Hospital and three of the Faisal Hospital Faisalabad, two each of Ihsan Mumtaz Hospital, Rasheed Hospital and Orthopaedic Medical Complex Lahore, and one of the Khawaja Hospital Kahna were suspended for surgeries.

These hospitals have been also served notices, and directed to submit written replies to the PHC. These theatres would be made functional only after their respective administrations would submit laboratory reports to the Punjab Healthcare Commission ensuring implementation of the standardised measures in these theatres.

The commission teams inspected 40 healthcare establishments and served show-cause notices to 36 hospitals. These included Akram Medical Complex, Hussain Memorial Hospital, and Layton Rehmatullah Benevolent Trust Eye Hospital (Multan Road) in Lahore, DHQ Teaching Hospital, Government TB Hospital Mubarak Medical Complex, Rai Medical Complex and Sadiq Hospital in Sargodha, Holy Family Hospital, Wapda Hospital and Saint Joseph Hospital in Rawalpindi, DHQ Hospital, Government General Hospital, District Anti-TB Hospital and Surraya Majeed Hospital in Faisalabad, Ch Pervaiz Elahi Institute of Cardiology, Children Hospital and Civil Hospital in Multan, Jinnah Memorial Hospital, Chattha Hospital, Haji Murad Trust Eye Hospital, Rafique Anwar Trust Hospital, Cheema Heart Complex and General Hospital, Allama Iqbal Memorial Trust Hospital and Wapda Hospital in Gujranwala.