KARACHI: Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Memon on Tuesday said that as many as 3,072 people were diagnosed with malaria and 1,098 others with dengue during the current month in the province.

Briefing the media about a meeting chaired by Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah to review flood situation and relief work in the province, the minister told a press conference that there was a surge in dengue cases across the province.

He said that at least nine people, all in Karachi, had lost their lives due to dengue fever during the current month.

He said that 15,101 people were screened for malaria during September and of them 3,072 were found positive.

Murad orders dismissal of all non-performing officials

“The screening of dengue has also been conducted, in which 1,066 cases have been reported in Karachi, nine cases in Hyderabad, 11 in Mirpurkhas, five in Shaheed Benazirabad and seven in Sukkur divisions during the current month,” he said.

The minister said that no dengue case had been reported in Larkana.

Hesaid the provincial government had established a dedicated control room in the health department to provide immediate medical assistance to the flood-hit people.

“Flood-affected people can contact on control room numbers — 0229240106 and 0229240114 — from any area, city or village across the province for immediate medical help. Medical teams will immediately rush to the affected area for help,” he added.

Earlier, CM Shah ordered all departmental heads to dismiss from service all those officials who were not performing their duties.

“We need best staff members who feel the pain of the flood affected people and believe in their service. Therefore, placement of responsible staff in health, local government, public health engineering, irrigation and other departments be made accordingly,” he said while chairing the meeting at the CM House.

CM Shah decided that relief goods would be distributed right from the union council-level so that it could reach every affected and displaced person.

He was told that the flood position in the Indus was going to be normal while the Guddu and Sukkur barrages had been normal for the past one week. There was high flood at Kotri Barrage, but its water level had reduced.

It was informed that the level of Manchhar Lake had also come down from 122.75 RL on Sept 12 to 122.50 RL on Sept 13. The water level at Dadu-Moro bridge had also shown a reduction from RL 130.4 to RL 126.9.

The health department informed the chief minister that they had set up 206 fixed camps where 317 doctors, 648 paramedics and 145 volunteers were working. The department has also arranged 382 mobile camps with 396 doctors, 765 paramedics and 171 volunteers in relief camps.

The meeting was informed that on Sept 12, the doctors of both the camps, fixed and mobile, checked 371,440 patients in the camps. Of them 18,804 had gastro-related diseases, 20,968 skin-related, 8731 Malaria (suspected), 80 dengue (suspected), 43,903 other issues. So far, 169 people had died in the camps, the CM was informed.

Distribution of relief goods

The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) told the meeting that they had dispatched 6,873 tents, 21,200 tarpaulins and 50,536 ration bags to all the six divisions for onward distribution on Sept 12. If the total figure of relief goods was counted, it would come to 203,173 tents, 181,161 tarpaulins, 396,162 ration bags distributed in the affected areas so far.

The meeting was attended by Health Minister Azra Pechuho, Information Minister Memon, Excise Minister Mukesh Chawla and Livestock Minister Bari Pitafi; CM’s advisers Manzoor Wassan, Murtaza Wahab and Rasool Bux Chandio, Chief Secretary Sohail Rajput and Principal Secretary to CM Fayaz Jatoi.

Those who participated in the meeting through video link were representatives of Corps 5, Engineering Corps, Pakistan Navy and Air Force besides Minister Irrigation Jam Khan Shoro.

Published in Dawn, September 14th, 2022