The Punjab Health Department has issued guidelines to principals of all autonomous medical institutions, medical superintendents of public sector hospitals and health EDOs in Punjab on prevention of food- and water-borne diseases especially gastroenteritis during summer/monsoon season.
They have been asked to make special arrangements for prevention of the disease as well as treatment of patients.
In this connection, a control room has been set up at the Directorate General Health Services 24-Cooper Road,Lahore. The Communicable Diseases Control (CDC) director has been nominated as focal person.
Special arrangements were ordered particularly on the reports that the public sector hospitals were receiving these days a considerable number of patients with gastroenteritis and other water-borne diseases.
A health department spokesman informed that a circular had already been issued to all the principals of autonomous medical institutions, medical superintendents of government hospitals and EDOs health of all districts.
They have been asked to operationalise necessary epidemiological measures according to the international protocols and prompt quality
care to the gastroenteritis patients.
The spokesman said the control room would collect daily reports regarding the cases of gastroenteritis from the teaching hospitals as well as from the periphery which would be consolidated and submitted to the higher authorities on a daily basis.
The administrations of all public sector hospitals have been directed for displaying at least two banners at each tertiary and DHQ hospital levels and one banner at each THQ, RHC and BHU levels indicating availability of medicines of gastroenteritis patients. The department has directed all the EDOs (health) for sampling and testing of drinking water from source and supply points in the affected areas and chlorination of water reservoirs.
Moreover, public health and food departments of district governments have also been asked to collect samples of eatables from the markets and send to the laboratories for analysis.
The district administrations have been requested to impose Section 144 for control on sale of cut fruits, ice balls and substandard ice creams and locally prepared uncovered drinks. The hospitals administrations have been directed for provision of ORS, intravenous drips and essential medicines in all health facilities