Rs3.6m needed to run fumigation drive in Pindi

RAWALPINDI, March 28: The District Health Department needs Rs3.6 million to buy petrol and diesel to run the fumigation campaign in the district. A written demand in this regard was submitted by the Director (health) Dr Zafar Iqbal Gondal to acting District Coordination Officer (DCO) Zubair Khan during a meeting on Monday. The meeting was called to review the arrangements of fumigation campaign in the district. A total 1,650 suspected patients were brought to Rawalpindis three government hospitals including Benazir Bhutto Hospital, Holy Family Hospital and District Headquarters Hospital from September 2010 to November 2010. Among them, 500 patients were declared positive for dengue and of them ten died. The health department officials said that the department was facing shortage of manpower and funds to run the drive effectively in the district. According to sources, the Rawalpindi City District Government uses development funds to meet fuel and operational charges in health sector and this year it allocated Rs2.5 million. However, they said this fiscal year the department had launched fumigation drive thrice in a short span. They said that the department also launched anti-polio and anti-measles drives in the district that also consume fuel quota of the department. They said that one litre of Permetherin and Delta-Permetherin was mixed with 25 litre of petrol to spray on dengue mosquito. They said that it requires 200 litre of diesel for the fogging in one union council. "In 46 union councils of Rawal Town, fogging would require 9,200 litre of diesel and petrol and in 36 Union Councils of Potohar Town, the quantity of diesel would 900 litre," they said. The insiders said that the DCO said that the local government secretary had directed the TMAs to purchase fogging machines and medicines to launch drives in their respective areas to avoid dengue fever outbreak. When contacted, Director Health Dr Zafar Iqbal Gondal admitted that they had submitted the demand for additional funds to the DCO during a meeting. For the shortage of manpower, he said that the DCO directed the TMAs and Municipal Services department to provide help to health department to launch the fogging effectively. He said that department required vehicles, fuel and more fogging spray machines to carry out the drive in the district. He said with available resources the department had launched the drive in the areas where dengue fever cases were reported last year. These areas are Shakrial, Satellite Town, Sadiqabad, Dhoke Hassu, Dhoke Mangtal, Hazara Colony, Bangish Colony, Pirwadhai and adjoining areas. He said that the department had already completed one phase of fumigation in March and sprayed chemicals along Leh Nullah, stagnant water pools and tyre Shops.