Health services on alert

In view of the expected heavy rainfalls and flood in Sindh, Director General Sindh Health Services Dr Hadi Bux Jatoi has cancelled the leaves of all medics and paramedics. While declaring emergency and high alert in health facilities of the province, he also asked the staff to report to their joining places with immediate effect.
Besides declaring emergency, the Director General also established a Provincial Control Room in his office, which started functioning round the clock to monitor the situation with Telephone Nos. 022-9240106, 022-9240101, Fax No 022-9240100 and E-Mail. [email protected].
Dr Hadi Bux Jatoi has asked all executive district officers (EDOs) Health of all districts of the province to set up control rooms at District and Taluka level and closely monitor the situation.
He asked them to adopt rain/ flood relief measures with immediate effect and ensure the availability of necessary medicines and life saving drugs including vaccines and sera in all government hospitals to deal with any emergency.
The relief camps with mobile teams should also be immediately established in rain and flood affected areas to avoid any outbreak of disease and loss of human lives, he said and added that a daily report should be sent to his office during acute emergency. He also asked them to establish medical camps where people from rain/ flood affected areas are given shelter and it should be ensured that all medicines are provided to them.
Mobile teams should also be constituted under the supervision of doctors to provide medical cover to the affected people who are temporarily placed by the roadsides, he added.
He said he himself and the vigilance teams from the office of the Directorate General are monitoring and supervising the relief activities and medical support, provided to the community. All life saving and essential drugs have been arranged by the Health Department, he added.
Dr Hadi Bux Jatoi said as the cases of snake bite and dog bite increase during the season, the EDOs health have been instructed to ensure availability of vaccines ARV/ ASV in sufficient quantity and if the vaccines are not provided by NIH Islamabad then they should be procured from the local market.
He further said the department has activated the health education cell to educate the general public to adopt measures of use of boiling water, avoid of over ripe fruits and vegetables, stale food and maintain proper hygienic condition. The cell would also provide them chlorine tablets, which have been made available through Unicef support. Around 1050,000 chlorine tablets are available with the Directorate General, he added.
As rains were expected in the coastal areas of the province, therefore special contingency plan has been prepared for Thatta and Badin districts, he said. In district Thatta, a District Emergency Control Room has been established in EDO Health Office with Dr Naseem Ismail Imrani as Incharge. The control room is functioning with Telephone Nos. 0298-920154, 0298-920194 and Fax No 0298-920153, he added.
He said the emergency centres have been established in Civil Hospital Thatta, Taluka Hospital Sujawal, Taluka Hospital Jati, Taluka Hospital Bathoro, Rural Health Centres of Chuhar Jamali, Keti Bandar, Var, Gharo, Daro, Buhara, Beghan, Jherruck, Medical Centre Mirpur Sakro, Basic Health Units of Ghora Bari, Buhara, Kothi, Raj Malik, Belo and Ali Bandar.
Besides, two mobile teams have also been stations at EDO Health Office to be dispatched to need areas, he added. In Badin districts, he said rain emergency centres have been established in Talukas of Badin, Matli, Tando Bago, Golarchi and Talhar.