Nagaland Minister for Health and Family Welfare, P Paiwang Konyak addresses emergency meeting held to discuss the surge in dengue cases in the Conference Hall of DC Dimapur on September 20. (DIPR Photo)
District Task Force and Control Room activated
Dimapur, September 20 (MExN): A Dengue Response Team headed by Nagaland Minister for Health and Family Welfare (H&FW), P Paiwang Konyak has been constituted on September 20 to contain the dengue outbreak in Nagaland, particularly in Dimapur and surrounding areas.
The team was constituted during an emergency meeting convened by Paiwang with the District Administration of Dimapur and Chümoukedima, Government medical officials, doctors from private hospitals and other line departments on Wednesday to take stock of the surges in dengue cases in Dimapur.
Others in team included Chief Medical Officer Dimapur as Member Secretary and members comprising of Commissioner & Secretary and Principal Director H& FW; DCs; Commissioner of Police Dimapur; DMC Administrator; and Members from Nagaland Private Doctors’ Association (NPDA).
The team will hold meetings time to time till the dengue situation is contained, informed the State DIPR.
Paiwang also directed for immediate activation of District Task Force.
During the meeting, the health minister also heard issues pointed out by Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Dimapur and Chümoukedima, Medical Superintendent and CMO Dimapur, as well as doctors from the private Hospitals including the president of the NPDA, the DIPR informed.
Thereafter, under the initiative of the minister, the meeting came up with standard operating procedure (SOPs) for addressing the issue, it added.
The meeting also decided for arrangement of contingency plan for patients requiring admission and treatment with regard to dengue cases.
Towards this, the CISHR and District Hospital Dimapur have agreed to keep 140 beds and 40 beds respectively.
It was also decided that Chümoukedima Police Hospital would be activated by tomorrow.
With regard to workforce requirement, Paiwang assured that the State Government will look into it immediately, it added.
A decision to activate a control room in the Directorate of H&FW for getting the latest updates of dengue cases across the State and Dimapur in particular, was also made.
Several doctors stressed on the need for source reduction or preventive measures as the best weapon for mitigating dengue cases and accordingly the meeting decided that massive awareness campaigns and cleanliness drives with participation of the community would be carried out with the initiative of the DCs and Health officials.
With regard to platelets, health practitioners informed that even if a young patient's platelet count goes down to as low as 25000 but no bleeding and co morbidity cases, blood transfusion was not required.
Minister Paiwang also informed that presently Dimapur District Hospital has 1 blood segregation machine while another one would be activated within a few days time. The CISHR and Kohima District hospital has 1 each.
He also appealed to the citizens of the State especially from Dimapur not to travel from one place to another till the dengue situation becomes normal.
It must be noted here that during the District Planning and Development Board (DPDB) Dimapur on September 19, the Medical Superintendent of Dimapur said that the dengue status in Dimapur has reached epidemic level.
Flood situation
Meanwhile, as authorised by the Chief minister Nagaland for taking stock of the flood situation in Dimapur, Paiwang was briefed on the issue by DC Dimapur and DMC Administrator.
According to the State DIPR, after the briefing, he advised them to come up with immediate action plan to be taken up with the Government.
With regard to encroachment hampering drainage systems, the minister suggested for appraising the government in the form of a report, it added.
