'Health emergency' declared in Rawalpindi to contain dengue cases – Pakistan

RAWALPINDI/LAHORE: As dengue cases continue to rise in the garrison city, the Punjab government has declared a health emergency in Rawalpindi to contain the surge after 103 new cases were reported in the city on Tuesday amid fears of an outbreak of the disease.

So far in the current season, Rawalpindi has reported six deaths and a total of 1358 cases, of which 1169 have been discharged after successful treatment and 181 are undergoing treatment in various hospitals. Lahore has reported only 201 cases since January this year.

In a meeting at the Civil Secretariat in Lahore, the Cabinet Committee on Dengue Prevention, Infectious Diseases and Disaster Management reviewed the dengue situation, particularly in Lahore, Rawalpindi and Faisalabad.

Punjab Specialized Health Care Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique and Punjab Chief Minister Zahid Akhtar Zaman chaired the meeting while Primary Health Care Minister Khawaja Imran Nazir participated via video link.

103 cases reported in garrison town as minister announces plans to double bed capacity

The Cabinet Committee directed that special attention should be paid to the clinical management of dengue patients to minimize the mortality rate and the technical group should identify the causes of death due to dengue in Rawalpindi and the severity of the disease in undertreated patients.

Mr Rafique said arrangements should be made for the treatment of dengue patients in private hospitals in case public hospitals run out of space. He also directed to launch a special campaign to raise awareness about dengue.

Mr Nazir said an action plan for dengue control should be prepared next month.

He said that the dengue situation in Lahore has improved due to efficient surveillance, but there is a fear that cases may increase in Rawalpindi.

The Chief Secretary directed to increase the capacity of government hospitals in Rawalpindi to better treat dengue patients.

He said all necessary resources would be allocated for the provision of medicines and necessary facilities in public hospitals. Mr. Zaman said that availability of authentic data is very important for better planning.

Primary and Secondary Health Minister Nadia Saqib and Deputy Commissioner Rawalpindi gave a detailed briefing at the meeting.

Ms Saqib claimed that 1,724 confirmed dengue cases and seven deaths have been reported in the province so far this year. Rawalpindi alone was responsible for six deaths.

Rawalpindi Deputy Commissioner said that 29 private hospitals have been put on standby as a backup solution in case of emergency. He added that 142 private hospitals had been sealed for not reporting dengue patients.

Anti-dengue meeting in Pindi

Primary and Secondary Health Care Minister Imran Nazir visited Rawalpindi and chaired an anti-dengue meeting on Tuesday to review the anti-dengue activities of allied ministries.

“We must use all means to raise awareness among people to report to the hospital immediately if they have a fever or other symptoms.” “The longer it takes to report to the hospital, the more critical the case becomes and the more difficult the treatment becomes,” he said .

He said the district health officials should ensure that the private laboratories and doctors immediately refer the patients to the main hospital if they find symptoms of dengue and report the same to the health department.

“It is the most important need of the hour to transform people's casual attitude towards dengue into a serious attitude. For this purpose, the political personalities at the district level should be mobilized to go door-to-door and sensitize residents,” said he.

Khawaja Imran Nazir further said that there should be no negligence in treating dengue patients. He said the province is currently in the “peak dengue season,” adding that the government has drawn up a plan to increase bed capacity in hospitals from 300 to 600 to deal with emergencies of any kind.

He directed that the hospital administration should ensure that the dengue ward heads and consultant personally visit the dengue patients in critical condition at least three times a day. He further said that we have drawn up a plan to increase the bed capacity in hospitals from 300 to 600 to deal with any sudden situation.

While briefing on the occasion, Deputy Commissioner Dr. Hassan Waqar Cheema that the boards of Islamabad, Chaklala and Cantonment are also cooperating with the administration in anti-dengue activities. Since January, at least 3,490 FIRs and 2,301 challans have been issued while 1,373 buildings have been sealed. Fines amounting to Rs 1,612,900 were also imposed.

Published in Dawn, October 2, 2024