Dengue patients: Punjab government releases Rs 20 million to each hospital

On the direction of Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif, Rs 20 million have been released to each teaching hospital for providing special treatment to dengue patients whereas four AC units have also been installed in the wards set up for dengue patients in Lahore General Hospital.
This was disclosed by Secretary Agriculture Punjab Captain Arif Nadeem (Retd) during a media briefing regarding dengue fever. Special Secretary Health Punjab Dawood Muhammad Khan Bareach, Director General Health Punjab Dr Aslam Chaudhry, Professor of Medicine of KEMU Dr Moaz Ahmad and other officers were also present on this occasion.
Special Secretary Health informed that the government launched a vigorous and an organised campaign for creating awareness about the diagnosis and treatment of dengue patients and dengue virus as a result of which the rush of dengue patients has started decreasing in outdoors of teaching hospitals. He further said that the federal government has issued NOC for importing dextron-40 medicine from India and Punjab Health Department has also placed order of importing drops costing Rs 20 lakh and the concerned company will provide these drops within four days.
Dawood Muhammad Khan further said that one each field hospital consisting of 16 beds is also being provided to the teaching hospitals of Lahore so that the patients should not face any problem. He said that walk-in-interviews are continuing for recruiting 1000 nurses whereas 624 nurses have been recruited so far and deputed in the hospitals of Lahore. Special Secretary Health said that the medical experts of Sri Lanka have given SOPs for treatment of dengue affected children, which have been sent to administration of all teaching hospitals. He said that the officials of Health Department and local medical experts have got an opportunity to learn from the long experience of Sri Lankan experts.
Secretary Agriculture Captain Arif Nadeem (Retd)told the media that 150 more fogging machines are being imported whereas 200 foggers are already being utilised in the campaign against mosquitoes in the city. He said that action has been taken against 70 medical stores for selling medicines on higher prices to be used in dengue fever and 41 laboratories for receiving more than Rs 90 for blood test.
He said that 9402 dengue fever patients have recovered whereas 379 new dengue patients have been reported in the province during the last 24 hours, of which, 314 belonged to Lahore. He said that the total number of dengue patients reported during the current year in Punjab is 9781 of which, 8769 relate to Lahore and at present, 1462 patients are under treatment in various government and non-government hospitals. He said that free treatment facilities are being provided to the dengue patients in the government hospitals. He said that 11 deaths were occurred due to dengue fever during the last 24 hours.