The Health Department will conduct medical camps in rain-affected areas. Steps were being taken to rope in hospitals empanelled in the Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme to hold the camps in flood-hit areas, while mobile medical teams were conducting camps in affected areas, Health Minister Ma. Subramanian said.
In a press release issued on Saturday, he said basic amenities and medical facilities were provided for persons from flooded residential localities in districts along Cauvery, Vaigai and Tamirabharani rivers and Delta districts, who were made to stay in temporary shelters in view of the rain. Medical camps were set up in temporary shelters, while steps were taken to admit pregnant women in nearby primary health centres/government hospitals not affected by the floods.
In view of the southwest monsoon, the Directorate of Public Health (DPH) and Preventive Medicine has instructed deputy directors of health services (DDHS) to keep three rapid response teams on alert round-the-clock in each block as well as in the health unit district and take up continuous disease surveillance in health facilities and camps.
Director of Public Health T.S. Selvavinayagam, in a communication to all DDHS on Saturday, said three vector control teams and water chlorination monitoring teams should be kept ready to carry out immediate relief measures after the cyclone. Hour-to-hour monitoring of weather forecasts along with District Disaster Management authorities should be given priority and a control room should be established in DDHS office for monitoring and initiating control measures immediately.
There should be continuous monitoring of persons in health facilities and camps for occurence of following syndromic conditions - acute febrile illness syndrome, acute diarrheal disease syndrome, influenza like illnesses syndrome, jaundice and acute encephalitis. The information should be analysed for any unusual increase in the conditions for taking appropriate public health preventive measures, he said.
The DPH said that all health facilities in the district should have adequate power backup through generators with adequate fuel supply. Ambulances should be stationed or mobilised to shift and transport patients under critical care to other medical institutions in case the power supply could not be restored by any means in the institutions. It should be ensured that generators are installed in elevated places which will not be inundated due to floods.
He said that a sizeable number of doctors, nurses, paramedical staff and other hospital workers should be trained in disaster management through the fire and rescue services department.
