In order to stimulate the health department to work pro-actively towards controlling and preventing dengue cases in the district, the Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer K N Vijayaprakash on Thursday ordered to form a special squad to carry out surprise visits and inspect the disease-preventive measures adopted by the department in the local level.
The squad comprising of nodal officers including the officers from health department’s surveillance squad and the pollution control board will examine the measures taken up in taluk and village level to control vector borne diseases. The decision was taken at the Zilla Panchayat general body meeting, in response to the zilla panchayat members raising complaint over the failure of the health department to check the spread of dengue cases in Dakshina Kannada.
ZP members blamed the district health department for lack of facilities for blood testing, apathy of doctors and lack of trained lab technicians in rural hospitals.
Giving details about dengue cases in the district, District Health Officer O R Srirangappa confirmed one death and 92 confirmed dengue cases in the district. As on Wednesday, among those who have undergone Elisa test, 35 positive cases are reported from the government district laboratory and 57 cases are reported from private hospitals. Though there are allegations that four people have died of dengue in Dakshina Kannada, going by the government guidelines, only one death is confirmed of dengue.
“Krishnappa Naik is the only confirmed dengue death in the district and the case was confirmed based on Elisa test result. In other three cases, the patients had not undergone the test,” he said and added that elisa test is conducted in only three centres in the district including the district government laboratory, KMC hospital and Fr Muller hospital.
Explaining the measures taken by the health department to control dengue, the DHO said 10 teams comprising of ASHAs, ANMs and male health workers are making door to door visits to bring awareness about dengue and they will achieve 90 per cent of the target by June 15.
MP Nalin Kumar Kateel who was at the meeting too asked the health department to press ambulances for service in rural areas on priority basis.
"10 cr from Centre"
ZP members who expressed discontentment over the health department’s functioning towards controlling vector borne diseases, demanded the department officials to furnish details about the funds available to the department under NRHM and its utilisation.
Providing details, RHO Dr Rukmini said the department has received Rs 10.09 crore from the central government during 2012-13. The total fund available with the department including the last year’s balance amount is Rs 12.15 crore which was utilised under eight components including RCH, NRHM, TB, NVBDCP, IDSP etc. Of the available fund, the department’s expenditure is put at Rs 8.68 crore and the balance is Rs 2.27 crore. When she informed that Rs 1.19 crore has been refunded to the State, the ZP members sought clarification for refunding.
In reply, the RHO said that there were no takers for certain programmes like family planning and the fund meant for that component could not be diverted for other programmes, hence had to be refunded.