Punjab SMOs sensitized for upcoming season of Dengue and Malaria

Chandigarh, March 19, 2018: A training workshop was conducted to sensitize the Senior Medical Officers working at District Hospitals in the districts. The main objective of the meeting was to sensitise these SMOs for reporting of communicable diseases covered under IDSP and NVBDCP keeping in view the upcoming season of Dengue and Malaria. A total of 22 SMOs participated in these two trainings.

The coordination of SMOs working in District Hospitals is important as to meet health care needs of the community with the focus on the underprivileged by making available to them essential primary health care services and reducing their out of pocket expenses for treatment. The training of these Senior Medical Officers will definitely be very useful in future for reporting of epidemic prone communicable diseases like Dengue, Malaria, swine flu, gastroenteritis etc which result in high mortality and morbidity.

Dr Jaspal Kaur, Director Health Services chaired the training workshop and emphasized that surveillance and early reporting of communicable diseases can help in prevention of outbreak of the diseases. In view of the high number of cases reported in 2017, she directed the SMOs to be fully vigilant and prepared for the upcoming Dengue season. She informed that tests of Malaria and Dengue are free of cost in Govt Hospitals of the State. The meeting was co-chaired by Dr Jagpal Bassi, Deputy Director, Malaria who gave valuable inputs to the SMOs to deal with emergent situations like Dengue and Swine flu. Dr Gagandeep Singh Grover and team of NVBDCP and IDSP deliberated on topics of Vector Borne Diseases, IDSP and lab investigations of communicable diseases.