The Hindu : More doctors deployed at airports

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Apr 08, 2003

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More doctors deployed at airports

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI April 7. With fresh cases of the killer pneumonia-like infection continuing to be reported from different parts of the world, the Centre today announced that the strength of medical personnel was being augmented in all airports that catered to international flights to ensure better screening of passengers. To begin with, additional contingents of four doctors each have been deployed in Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata from today.

In other centres, the medical teams would be strengthened over the next couple of days. While in Hyderabad, four more doctors would be deployed, in Bangalore and Ahmedabad three more would be added.

Briefing reporters, senior officials in the Union Health Ministry said a `dry run' to check the effectiveness of the response system was also conducted at Delhi airport this morning. The exercise had involved doctors at the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, which has been designated as an isolation centre for `SARS' patients.

In a related development, the Cabinet Secretary, Kamal Pandey, today took an inter-Ministerial review of the measures taken to prevent the infection from entering India.

The meet was attended by Secretaries of Ministries of Health, Civil Aviation, Shipping, External Affairs and also senior representatives of the International Airport Authority of India.

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