PESHAWAR: Health Minister Dr Hisham Inamullah Khan has said that government is making efforts on war footing for prevention of cutaneous leishmaniasis in the province and a special cell has been set up to cope with the outbreak of the skin disease.

According to a handout issued here on Wednesday, so far 21,258 cases of leishmaniasis have been reported throughout the province including 19,072 from tribal districts.

In his message, Dr Hisham said that there was no need to worry about that type of disease as it was curable. He said that government would ensure that each patient suffering from leishmaniasis was given proper treatment besides taking practical measures for prevention of the disease in the affected areas.

The minister said that WHO also provided 9,500 vials of injections for treatment of the patients. He said that special centres were established at sentinel sites where patients were being treated under the guidelines of WHO in the affected districts.

He said that lady health workers and health teams were also creating awareness among people in the affected areas to sensitise them to adopt precautionary measures. He added that local authorities were also conducing fogging and providing bed nets to people in the affected areas.

The minister said that officials concerned were directed to buy medicines from the local market on need basis for treatment of the skin disease. He said that for reporting and early response to leishmaniasis cases, a cell was set up that would remain functional 24 hours in the health secretariat, Peshawar.

Dr Hisham said that all district health officers and medical superintendents of the hospitals were directed to ensure presence of dermatologists and nurses round the clock in all district headquarters hospitals. He said it was top priority of the government to provide quality and quick health services to all the patients.

Published in Dawn, February 14th, 2019