MULTAN, Oct 24 (APP):Punjab Health Minister Khawaja Imran Nazir on Saturday ordered stricter anti-dengue surveillance across the province and directed that officials be held accountable for negligence in keeping government institutions clean and free of mosquito breeding.
Chairing a meeting at the Commissioner’s Office to review dengue, polio eradication and healthcare services in Multan Division, he said the Punjab government was committed to making the province free of both diseases.
He directed health teams to inspect public-sector facilities as rigorously as private premises and to step up indoor and outdoor surveillance.
He urged private housing societies to play an active part in prevention and proposed short training sessions for college students to help them spot larvae. Students, he said, should also be encouraged to join awareness campaigns voluntarily.
On polio,Imran Nazir called on all departments to discharge their duties effectively.
He urged parents to ensure their children received drops in every campaign and asked the public to cooperate with frontline workers, whose services he commended.
The minister said the supply of medicines and essential facilities at hospitals was a priority and that patients were being asked directly for feedback on treatment, medicine availability and the conduct of hospital staff.
MPA Salman Naeem said the government was working to improve public access to healthcare.
He urged political workers and elected representatives to support awareness initiatives and encourage residents to keep their surroundings clean.
Commissioner Multan Division Aamir Kareem Khan briefed the meeting on anti-dengue operations saying deputy commissioners and health authorities had been assigned specific responsibilities and were reviewing progress at regular meetings.
He stressed systematic checks of homes,tyre shops and graveyards and asked religious scholars to raise awareness in Friday sermons. The division,he said,should aim to lead Punjab in dengue control.
The commissioner also outlined a plan to place bookshelves in the waiting areas of public hospitals across the division, including tehsil and district headquarters and teaching hospitals.
They will hold translations of the Holy Quran and other useful books.
Welcoming the idea, the health minister directed that it be adopted in hospitals throughout the province.
Khan said he visited a tehsil hospital every Thursday to assess facilities and speak directly with patients in the wards.
According to figures reported up to October 23, Multan had recorded 66 probable and 16 confirmed dengue cases.
Khanewal reported four confirmed cases, Vehari 12 probable and seven confirmed, and Lodhran three probable and three confirmed.
The meeting was also briefed on larval detection, hotspot monitoring, field surveillance and awareness activities in each district.
Deputy Commissioner(DC) Multan Dr.Faisal Saleem and officials of relevant departments attended in person, while the deputy commissioners of Khanewal,Vehari and Lodhran joined via video link.