Daily Times

Provincial Health Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique on Tuesday chaired an emergency meeting of the Technical Working Group in the Department of Primary and Secondary Health Care in response to the increasing cases of dengue.

Provincial Health Minister Khawaja Imran Nazir participated in meeting via video link, while Health Advisor Major General (Retired) Azhar Mehmood Kayani attended the meeting in person at the Health Department. During the meeting, Khawaja Salman Rafique reviewed the latest dengue situation across the province. Experts presented their suggestions to control the spread of dengue.

Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique emphasized that the Technical Working Group should immediately determine the causes of death due to dengue in Rawalpindi and assess the severity of the disease in treated patients. “To control dengue, field officers need to operate outside of their offices. In Rawalpindi, provisions are being made for the treatment of dengue patients in both government and private hospitals. The concerned officers should monitor every dengue case closely. A special campaign should be conducted to raise awareness about dengue. Due to better surveillance, the dengue situation in Lahore is under control. Departments must remain vigilant to control cases in Rawalpindi”, he added.

Provincial Minister for Primary and Secondary Health Care Khawaja Imran Nazir stated that while dengue is not typically life-threatening, it can become dangerous if patients report to the hospital too late. “With the dengue season at its peak, there will be no compromise on the care of infected patients. Union Councils will ensure the involvement of elected representatives in anti-dengue activities. Dengue workers should be provided with new Android mobile phones, and transport issues must be resolved. An audit of dengue deaths should be conducted to identify the root causes’, he added.

Health Advisor Major General (Retired) Dr. Azhar Mehmood Kayani emphasized the importance of practical training for dengue prevention and stressed that the disease should be taken seriously. “A third-party audit of dengue deaths from the previous and current years should be conducted. The same level of commitment seen in 2011 will be required to combat dengue effectively’, he added.

Secretary Primary and Secondary Health Care Department Nadia Saqib, DG Health Services Dr. Ilyas Gondal, Additional Secretaries (Technical) Dr. Muhammad Waseem and Dr. Younis, Professor Waseem Akram, Professor Haroon Hamid, Professor Soumia, Dr. Yadullah, officers from the PITB, and others attended the meeting.