The Health Department is committed to protect the people from Diarrhoea and Cholera in SAS Nagar, says Dr Balbir Singh

Kharar/ S.A.S. Nagar : Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Balbir Singh today, launched an awareness drive to prevent Diarrhea and Cholera from Balongi, a worst affected area of the district. The medical students and interns of Ambedkar Institute of Medical Sciences Mohali and Nursing Students from other Colleges joined the IEC activity initiated by the Health and Family Welfare Department to protect the residents from waterborne and vector borne diseases by contacting house to house.
Apart from that, the distribution of a new lot of 2.5 lakh Chlorine tablets was also started while visting the Balongi and Badmajra areas. The Minister assured that the Health and Family Welfare department is committed to protect the people from Diarrhoea and other waterborne diseases.
The teams will distribute these tablets with proper instructions to disinfect water.
The Health Minister said that regular free medical check camps are in progress to prevent the further outbreak of the disease. Today, as many as 21 check up camps in the district were conducted, added Dr Balbir Singh.
An ambulance was also flagged off from Balongi to provide medical assistance to the Diarrhea affected areas. He interacted with the teams providing health facilities in the affected areas and asked them to make people more aware about health care.
The health minister said that the district health officials have coordinated with the administration and other departments and health services are being provided. To prevent Diarrhea and Cholera, teams of ASHA workers, medical and nursing students formed teams and went door to door to distribute ORS packets, Zinc tablets.
Chlorine tablets are also being distributed to disinfect drinking water. Water tankers have been installed to provide clean drinking water besides bottled water in the area.
He said that after floods, the risk of spreading waterborne and Vector borne diseases increases manifolds. To contain the spread it is mandatory to pump out the stagnant water besides taking boiled water and fresh cooked food.
Similarly, fogging also helps to stop the larvae of mosquitoes, he added. The cabinet minister directed the district health authorities and faculty of medical College to take care of the Diarrhoea affected people and kept close monitoring on their health.
He directed the health officials to enhance bedding capacity in the government hospitals, if need arises besides more mobile medical teams and ambulances.
The Chairperson of the District Planning Board, Prabhjot Kaur, SDM Mohali, Sarabjit Kaur, Civil Surgeon Dr Mahesh Kumar Ahuja, Assistant Director Dr Gagandeep Singh Grover, Senior Medical Officer Dr Surinderpal Kaur, District Immunisation Officer Dr Girish Dogra and other officers.