Health Department gears up for cyclone, identifies 26,000 pregnant women

Health Minister Satya Kumar Yadav has directed officials to ensure uninterrupted emergency healthcare services in areas likely to be affected by the approaching cyclonic storm.

On Sunday (October 25), he reviewed the Health and Family Welfare Department’s preparedness in view of the red alerts issued for several districts on October 27 and 28, as the State braces for the ‘Very Severe Cyclonic Storm’.

According to a department release, Mr. Yadav stressed the need to maintain an uninterrupted supply of medicines at government healthcare facilities in low-lying areas. He also directed officials to shift pregnant women whose expected delivery dates fall between October 23 and November 6 to safer locations.

The department has identified more than 26,000 pregnant women living in flood-prone areas and those with health complications for admission to hospitals. Arrangements are also being made to shift pregnant women from areas with no transport facilities.

Health and Family Welfare Commissioner K.V.N. Chakradhar Babu has directed all District Medical and Health Officers to ensure adequate stocks of essential medicines, oral rehydration solution (ORS), intravenous saline, maternity medicines, newborn care supplies, oxygen, generators, fuel and drinking water.

Frontline health workers have been asked to identify families with pregnant women, postpartum mothers, newborns, young children, elderly people, persons with disabilities and those requiring regular medication.

Officials have also been directed to ensure proper sanitation and access to safe drinking water in affected villages, and remain vigilant against any unusual rise in infectious diseases.