DERA BUGTI: Due to the effective response of the government on the direction of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the health officials remained successful in controlling the Cholera epidemic in Pir Koh, Dera Bugti.
The government immediately responded to the situation by scaling up interventions and mobilizing resources to the affected area and after the complete recovery of 3,615 patients from Cholera now the under-treatment patients in the hospital were only three.
It is pertinent to mention here that on receiving reports of an increasing number of Cholera cases in Dera Bugti, the Prime Minister immediately issued special directions to control the situation by using all resources.
On which, the provincial government of Balochistan had submitted a final report to the Prime Minister on the situation and special measures taken on PM’s direction to control the situation.
As per the report, the provincial government on the direction of the PM, earlier stopped the contaminated water of natural spring which was the main cause of the pandemic while later opening it to use for other purposes after chlorination.
Similarly, the provincial government immediately released funds for the supply of medicines to the affected area. Two medical camps were also established at Pir Koh on an emergency basis besides converting the Basic Health Unit of Pir Koh into a 20-bed hospital alongwith the deployment of 24 doctors and 32 paramedical staff from Quetta.
The government had also set up laboratories in Pir Koh and Dera Bugti while mobile teams had been given the task to reach every house for creating awareness while ensuring the presence of local administration. Social mobilizers were visiting house to house and agencies had dispatched broachers, leaflets, and banners.
Besides direct monitoring of operation by the minister for Narcotics Control Nawabzada Shahzain Bugti, Chief Secretary Balochistan, Secretary Health Balochistan, and other health officials, the Country Representative, World Health Organization (WHO), Dr. Palitha Mahipala also visited the affected area and assured full support to beef up response to the epidemic.
In order to ensure the provision of clean drinking water, an amount of Rs 10 million had been released while National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) had provided water tanks to store 4000 gallons of clean drinking water.
The affected persons had been provided free medical treatment alongwith clean drinking water and food items.
In order to control the epidemic, the WHO had provided ambulances, medicines, and a 12-bed hospital while the government had prepared a long-term and short-term strategy to manage such epidemics in the future.
