Bhubaneswar: The State government today ordered the top health officials to take steps to ensure zero deaths from water-borne and vector-borne diseases such as dengue, diarrhoea, and malaria during the current monsoon season.
Health and Family Welfare Minister Mukesh Mahaling chaired a review meeting with top health officials, emphasizing the need for systematic and operational health services in urban and rural areas. The Minister directed officials to adopt necessary measures and launch awareness campaigns to prevent outbreaks.
He directed the officials to set up special wards for dengue patients in district headquarters hospitals and medical colleges and distribute long-lasting insecticide-treated mosquito nets for malaria prevention.
The Minister also emphasized providing ORS packets and zinc medicine to diarrhoea patients. Mahaling also advised the doctors to improve patient morale through compassionate treatment.
The meeting thoroughly reviewed the current status and statistics of dengue, diarrhoea, and malaria in 15 districts including namely Kalahandi, Balangir, Ganjam, Nabarangpur, Koraput, Rayagada, Keonjhar, Malkangiri, Mayurbhanj, Sundergarh, Boudh, Kandhamal, Gajapati, Khurda and Cuttack. Minister Mahaling ordered door-to-door visits at the grassroots level to raise awareness and instructed Public Health directors and CDMOs to increase hospital beds and ensure sufficient medicines.
