BRAHM MOHINDRA INSTRUCTS IMA & PRIVATE PRACTITIONERS TO REPORT DENGUE CASES TO HEALTH DEPARTMENT

CHANDIGARH, SEPTEMBER 29, 2018: In a bid to nip the potential outbreak of dengue and Chikungunya in the bud and to put the health paraphernalia on high alert mode to check the virus in its early stages, the Health and Family Welfare Department today issued instructions to the Indian Medical Association, Punjab and all private practitioners to report any suspected/ confirmed dengue cases to the health Department immediately so that remedial measures could be taken without any delay. It was disclosed by Mr.Brahm Mohindra, Health and Family Welfare Minister, Punjab today while presiding over the high level review meeting of the Civil Surgeons. He said that the instructions to the IMA, Punjab and all private hospital as private practitioners across the state have been issued whereby it has now been made mandatory that all suspected/confirmed cases of dengue should be timely reported to Health department so that remedial measures are undertaken for prevention and spread of dengue in the affected area. The Health Minister also sought action taken report from 11 concerned departments within week with regard to the preliminary arrangements done by them to check the potential outbreak of Dengue and Chikungunya in the state. He instructed the civil surgeons to personally take part in all activities regarding the dengue control programme and told them to hold meeting with the nodal officers of the 11 departments who were active member of the district level committees. Reviewing the TB Control Programme, the Health Minister said that as State Government has decided to eliminate TB by 2022, every TB patient would be notified online under the ‘Nikshey’ programme and all patients have to be properly treated at all levels. He instructed that in case, TB patient has not any bank account then financial aid of Rs.500 would transfer to the family member of patient. He said that Punjab Government has been already introduced Bedaqualin tablet for eligible MDR and XDR patients for 6 months. “One tablet costs Rs. 5000 approximately and it is being provided free of cost to the patients,” he added. Reviewing the progress of Health & Wellness Centres, Mr. Brahm Mohindra said that we will transform the service delivery of primary health care centres and about 200 centers will be operationalised by November 1, 2018. He said that training capacity of State will be increased to create ‘Mid Level Health Care Providers’ who will be the team leader at the Health & Wellness Centre. Mr. Brahm Mohindra said that the Centre Government has approved the 2 Trauma Centres at district hospital Fazilaka and Ferozepur while as many as 14 Trauma Centres have been proposed to the centre government for approval at GMC Patiala, GGSGMC Faridkot, GMC Amritsar, Bathinda, Ludhiana, Ropar, Sangrur, Muktsar Sahib, Dasuya, Mansa, Tran taran, Moga, SBS nagar and Pataran. The Health Minister lauded that Under National Programme for Control of Blindness, Punjab has been declared as one of leading state in performance of Cataract surgery as more than 2 lacs cataract operations are being performed in the state every year. He announced that Keratoplasty Centre would soon start at Mata Kaushalya Hopital, Patiala. He said that Punjab Government has been working on eliminating corneal blindness by looking for corneal blind people in the community and facilitating them Keratoplasty surgery. He said that ‘Tobacco Cessation Centres’ will be opened in remaining 12 districts of Punjab from 1st October 2018 in which Free Tobacco cessation services such as counselling, medicines, nicotine gums and patches will be provided to the patients who want to quit the Tobacco use. In year 2017-18, Tobacco cessation centres were opened in the 10 districts of Punjab (Amritsar, Bathinda, Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Ludhiana, Patiala, SAS Nagar, Sangrur and Sri Muktsar Sahib). To improve sex ratio at birth, Mr. Brahm Mohinhdra strictly instructed civil surgeons to intensify the monitoring system of Ultra Sound and Scanning centres. He said that concerned officer will be held responsible if any centre found violating the PC PNDT Act by the state monitoring teams. The Mother & Child Health Care, Rashtraya Bal Swastheya Karyakaram and HIV/AIDS control programme were also discussed in the meeting. Additional Chief Secretary Mr. Satish Chandra, Additional Secretary Health Mr. B Srinivasan, Mission Director NHM Mr. Amit Kumar, and State Programme Offficers were also present in the meeting.