Health dept declares July as anti-dengue month, intensifies awareness drives across district
The monsoon arrived in the state on June 22, and six dengue cases have already been reported in the district. Last year, nearly 300 cases were recorded during the monsoon season.
The state's health minister, who launched the anti-dengue campaign in Ludhiana on May 30, announced that the department aims to reduce dengue cases by 90% this year, building on the 50% reduction achieved in 2023.
Civil surgeon Dr Ramandeep Kaur emphasised the importance of following health guidelines during the rainy season to effectively control the disease. She urged residents to keep their homes and surroundings clean, eliminate stagnant water, and remove waste from rooftops to prevent mosquito breeding.
District epidemiologist Dr Sheetal Narang added that health department teams are conducting door-to-door dengue surveys to detect mosquito larvae early and break the transmission cycle.
As part of the campaign, awareness activities are being held in schools as well. On Wednesday, district mass media and information officer Parminder Singh and district BCC coordinator Barjinder Singh Brar educated students at Government High School, Barewal, about dengue prevention.
The department has also launched a weekly initiative, 'Har Shukarvaar, Dengue te Vaar' (every Friday, strike on dengue), dedicating Fridays to intensified anti-dengue drives.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
17 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Patients in peril as KEM runs out of haemophilia drugs
MUMBAI: KEM Hospital, Mumbai's largest civic-run hospital, has been turning away patients with haemophilia, as it has run out of drugs to treat the condition. Among them was a young woman who couldn't deliver her baby at the hospital, as it lacked Factor VII needed to arrest postpartum bleeding. The woman gave birth at Nanavati Hospital, a private hospital, on Thursday, after purchasing two vials of clotting factors, costing ₹46,000 each. KEM Hospital, Parel in Mumbai. (HT Photo) The crisis at KEM's haemophilia department was triggered by a policy change, which saw the National Health Mission (NHM) halting funding to tertiary hospitals (Like KEM, those with medical colleges and other advanced facilities) in September last year. Since then, the central government has released funds exclusively for district hospitals, routed through state governments. Ironically, even though the Maharashtra government recently procured 6,130 vials of extended half-life Factor VIII, the drug remains out of reach for the 980 haemophilia patients under KEM's care. These include patients who receive Anti-Hemophilic Factor (AHF) regularly, for haemophilia and other coagulation disorders, as well as surgical and trauma care patients and pregnant women. KEM's day care centre saw 15,438 patients in 2024. The 6,130 vials, procured by the state for ₹4.49 crore, cost ₹7,339 each, compared to the exorbitant price in private hospitals. These vials will be distributed among 19 district hospitals across the state, including Thane, Pune, Satara and Kolhapur. However, district hospitals lack designated haematologists and are not equipped to treat patients beyond the initial emergency dose. 'None of these hospitals have doctors trained to treat haemophilia patients. After receiving factor treatment in a district hospital, there is no scope for continued treatment or monitoring complications. KEM is the only comprehensive treatment facility in the entire state,' said Jigar Kotecha, secretary of the Mumbai chapter of the Haemophilia Society, a non-profit. More critically, these district centres cannot transfer the medication to KEM Hospital, thanks to the NHM's policy shift, which marked tertiary medical colleges as 'not recommended' for centrally funded AHF supplies. After several requests from KEM's dean Sangeeta Ravat, the Thane District Hospital wrote back on July 16, stating, 'Since a large number of new patients are being registered at the District General Hospital, Thane, and a limited amount of Anti-Hemophilic Factors are being received from the state level, it will not be possible to continue providing these factors to KEM.' The only recourse for KEM is to source AHF supplies through donations from NGOs and other organisations working with haemophilia patients. One patient, scheduled for knee surgery, procured the medication from a district hospital in Latur. When the acute shortage of AHF medication at KEM Hospital was placed before the state health department, government authorities said it was the responsibility of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to provide funds for the drugs, as it was a civic-run institution. On January 3, joint director, National Health Mission in Mumbai, Dr Govind Patil Chaudhary, wrote to Dr Vipin Sharma, additional municipal commissioner (Health), BMC, requesting that the corporation provide funds and medicines to support haemophilia patients at KEM, as the hospital had been excluded from NHM eligibility. 'We want more state funding, like Gujarat, which has a ₹250-crore fund for 3,300 haemophilia patients, while we have none. We want the government to prioritise extended half-life factors over plasma-derived ones — they are more effective and cost-efficient — and most importantly, restock KEM with essential medication so we can receive life-saving care,' said another member of the Haemophilia Society. Assistant municipal commissioner (health) Vipin Sharma and deputy municipal commissioner, Sharad Ughade, did not respond to phone calls or texts from HT.
News18
a day ago
- News18
Real Life 'Munna Bhai MBBS'? Fake Assam Doctor Who Performed 50 C-Sections Arrested
Last Updated: Pulok Malakar, posing as a doctor for over a decade, was arrested in Silchar, for performing over 50 surgeries without valid qualifications A man posing as a doctor for over a decade has been arrested in Silchar, Assam, for allegedly performing more than 50 caesarean and gynaecological surgeries without any valid medical qualification. The accused, Pulok Malakar, had been working at two private hospitals in Silchar and was widely known as a gynaecologist. His arrest followed a tip-off, after which police raided Shibsundari Nari Shiksha Seva Ashram Hospital in Silchar while he was in the operation theatre performing a C-section, NDTV reported. 'We got information about him and started an investigation. After verification of all the documents, we found that all his certificates are fake. He was a fake medical practitioner and was running the business for many years," said senior police officer Numal Mahatta. Malakar, a resident of Sribhumi in Assam, was produced before a local court on Monday and sent to five-day police custody. His arrest is part of a larger crackdown in Assam on fake doctors. In January 2025, the state government led by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma formed the Anti-Quackery and Vigilance Cell — a dedicated unit working with the police to identify unqualified individuals posing as medical professionals. Since its formation, the cell has filed 13 FIRs and arrested 10 fake doctors across the state. One suspect remains on the run, and two cases are under investigation. Most of the individuals caught have been targeting lower and middle-income patients in both rural and urban areas. Last month, four fake doctors were arrested — two in Nagaon and two in Jorhat — after FIRs were filed by state anti-quackery officer Dr Abhijit Neog. All four are now in judicial custody and have been booked under various charges, including cheating, criminal breach of trust, and offences under the National Medical Commission (NMC) Act, 2019. view comments Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Hindustan Times
Ludhiana district AACs offer free ARV, but not serum for severe bites
While the health department has announced that all the Aam Aadmi Clinics (AACs) will now have free-of-cost Anti-Rabies Vaccination (ARV), they still don't have anti-rabies serum required in case of category three cases with severe bites, and victims still have to seek treatment at the civil hospital. At present the serum is available at the anti-rabies clinic at Ludhiana civil hospital and four sub-divisional hospitals and 12 community health centres (CHCs) in the district. (HT File) According to the health department, the Ludhiana district saw 32,004 animal bite cases in 2024 and 1,309 of these were category three cases. This year till June the district saw 1,80,568 cases and 639 of those are category three cases. According to district epidemiologist Dr Sheetal Narang, animal bites are classified into three categories. Category one is scratches with no bleeding. This, she said, after careful examination by a doctor, doesn't require any vaccination. Category two is bites with bleeding. This, she said, required a thorough wound wash for 15-20 minutes, ARV and tetanus injection. Category three is severe bites which need anti-rabies serum. 'In ARV, there are antigens which stimulate antibodies a week after the shot is given. But in serum, the antibodies are already present. In cases of severe bites, the serum helps in rapid response,' explained Dr Narang. 'The AACs have been supplied with ample stock of ARVs and will only be given the serum when staff present there gets experienced in cases of animal bite. The staff has to be experienced to handle severe bites. That is why they haven't been given the serum right away. They may be provided with the serum later on,' she added. At present the serum is available at the anti-rabies clinic at Ludhiana civil hospital and four sub-divisional hospitals and 12 community health centres (CHCs) in the district.
