In view of the possible mpox, a viral zoonotic disease threat, Chief Minister Balochistan Abdul Quddus Bizinjo on Thursday directed the health department to set up isolation wards in all government-run hospitals. The Isolation wards with 5 to 10 beds should be established at a separate location from hospitals, CM directed the health department authorities.
“Isolation wards should be set up at BMC, Civil Hospital, Shaikh Zaid, Mufti Mehmood Hospital, and Fatima Jinnah Hospital,” he urged. CM also called upon the authorities to provide necessary medical equipments and other items including hygiene kits to cope with the possible mpox threat.
In compliance with the CM directives, the health department, government of Balochistan has issued an alert. Director General Health Balochistan has directed all government hospitals of the province to set up the isolation wards,” a letter written to the heads of the hospitals by DG Health read.
He directed that all possible measures should be taken in view of possible cases in all hospitals. “The instructions of the health department should be implemented on a priority basis,” the letter further read. On the other hand the focal persons from government hospitals across the Punjab province would be trained on treatment, diagnosis and case management of people infected with the monkeypox virus, on May 2.
This was disclosed by Dean IPH Prof Dr Zarfashan Tahir while presiding over a high-level meeting in the committee room of the Department of Specialized Healthcare and Medical Education here on Thursday. She said the Punjab government had assigned special task to the Institute of Public Health (IPH) for prevention and control of monkeypox and training of health professionals and health education.
She told the participants of the meeting that in light of orders of the provincial government, the institute would prepare training modules on surveillance, health education, monitoring and diagnosis of monkeypox and it would establish a disease monitoring centre in the IPH within a week. She said the centre would review the situation on a daily basis and issue alerts. The institute would also provide training to the staff of Civil Aviation Authority, Rescue-1122 and other related departments about the disease, she said. Dr Zarfashan said that advance arrangements had been completed in all the hospitals for the treatment of expected patients and isolation wards were also functional as per the instructions of the government.
