More staff to be deployed in view of fever situation.
Health Minister V.S. Sivakumar has said that the State government will initiate steps to arrange 24-hour out-patient (OP) facility in all government hospitals in the district to deal with the increasing influx of fever patients.
Speaking after a district-level review meeting here on Sunday, Mr. Sivakumar said that steps would be taken to deploy additional staff and ensure round-the-clock availability of doctors in all taluk and district hospitals.
The decisions were taken at the meeting following requests from the MLAs from the district who pointed out that lack of adequate staff and unavailability of doctors had led to a crisis in patient management in most of the taluk hospitals and rural Community Health Centres in the district.
MLAs Palode Ravi, Varkala Kahar, Koliakode Krishnan Nair, B. Satyan, Jameela Prakasham, V. Sivankutty and K. Muraleedharan, Mayor K. Chandrika, district panchayat president Ramani P. Nair, District Collector K.N. Satheesh, District Medical Officer (DMO) T. Peethambaran and heads of various departments attended the meeting.
“Our hospitals are ill equipped to handle the heavy influx of fever patients. Even the basic service of a doctor is not available in most hospitals after 2 p.m. In many hospitals doctors have gone on leave. The Health Department and State government should intervene urgently and ensure round-the-clock availability of doctors in government hospitals at least for the next three months in view of the fever situation and monsoon,” Mr. Ravi said.
Mr. Ravi added that fever control activities undertaken by the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), and the ward-level vector-control activities should be implemented in each constituency in coordination with the MLAs concerned.
Mr. Sivakumar directed the MLAs to convene constituency-wise review meetings, involving health officials and hospital staff, on June 20, 21 and 22.
Fever-detection tests
Ms. Prakasham said that the government should ensure the availability of early fever-detection tests and equipment in hospitals. Mr. Sivankutty requested the Minister to procure fogging machines and power sprayers to strengthen vector-control activities.
Following a suggestion made by Mayor K. Chandrika, the Minister said he would request the State government to give special permission to the city Corporation to make 50 per cent advance payment to accredited service providers of the pipe compost project in order to expedite it.
The DMO said: “Immediate measures should be taken to close all open manholes and clean up choked drains in the city. All the main canals in the city need to be de-silted to control mosquito-born diseases like dengue,” he said, adding that the total number of dengue cases reported in the district as on June 16 is 752. Apart from this, 55 leptospirosis cases and 26 malaria cases had been reported in the city.
Mr. Sivakumar said that steps would be initiated to expedite the implementation of the Rs.70.4 lakh scheme of the Irrigation Department to de-silt and clean major canals running through the city.
Special Cabinet meeting
He added that the suggestions made at the meeting would be discussed at the Special Cabinet meeting on fever situation to be held on Monday.
Keywords: V.S. Sivakumar, OP facility, rural Community Health Centres, taluk hospitals, Health Department, NRHM
