Focus on quality healthcare in Fani-ravaged Puri

Odisha

Puri: In the aftermath of Cyclone Fani, Health and Family Welfare Department Secretary Pramod Kumar Meherda, National Health Mission (NHM) Director Shalini Pandit and Odisha State Medical Corporation Limited (OSMCL) Managing Director Archana Patnaik on Monday rushed to several areas in worst-hit Puri district and took stock of the ongoing healthcare activities to prevent outbreak of any diseases.

The fear of outbreak of health hazards is looming large as heaps of debris are lying in several areas, including worst-hit Brahmagiri, Satpada and Krushnaprasad, posing a serious health hazard. The cyclone also triggered heavy rainfall.

As stagnant water is the source of breeding of mosquitoes and other insects, chance of outbreak of diseases like malaria, dengue and skin allergy is high in the affected area. Spread of such diseases can be controlled by maintaining hygienic condition in the affected villages.

There are also chances of getting infected by water and vector-borne disease s like typhoid, cholera, diarrhoea, hepatitis A and E in the affected areas.

While Meherda monitored the health activities and visited some healthcare facilities in Krushnaprashad block for an on-the-spot verification, Pandit visited Satapada and Panasapada areas to assess the status of distribution of ORS, Halazone, Chlorine and Zinc tablets to ensure proper healthcare of the public.

OSMCL Managing Director Patnaik visited patients who are being treated at Public Health Centre at Challisibatia.

The visit of the top three IAS officers to Puri was aimed at expediting restoration of health facilities in Puri.

Sources said at least 59 mobile medical teams have been deployed and 259 medical relief centres have been opened in different parts of the district. At least 54 doctors have been deployed in the district from outside.

More than 1.4 crore people in over 16,000 villages and 51 urban local bodies have been affected by Fani, India’s strongest summertime cyclone in the last 43 years. The cyclone ripped through Puri on May 3 causing extensive damage in 14 districts – – Angul, Balasore, Bhadrak, Cuttack, Dhenkanal, Ganjam, Jagatsinghpur, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Keonjhar, Khurda, Mayurbhanj, Nayagarh and Puri.

The entire electricity and telecommunication have been damaged in Puri and Bhubaneswar. The death toll due to the cyclone has touched 64 with Puri recording the maximum number of casualties at 39.

 

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