Public health dept pulled up for inadequate dengue response

The MCD standing committee on Tuesday, in a short notice discussion on dengue and mosquito borne diseases in the Capital, questioned the public health department’s claims that it had adequate stocks of insecticide, and that fogging and other countermeasures had been deployed

The MCD standing committee on Tuesday, in a short notice discussion on dengue and mosquito borne diseases in the Capital, questioned the public health department’s claims that it had adequate stocks of insecticide, and that fogging and other countermeasures had been deployed.

The committee chairperson Satya Sharma directed the municipal health officer (MHO) Ashok Rawat to provide written submissions for existing stocks of insecticides in the department’s stores.

Deputy chairman Satyapal Singh said the situation was “dire” and said mosquito-borne diseases must be treated with seriousness. “Deputy health officers are telling us there are not enough stocks. We are being lied to,” he added.

The committee chairperson Satya Sharma directed the municipal health officer (MHO) Ashok Rawat to provide written submissions for existing stocks of insecticides in the department’s stores.

Last week, HT had reported that the MCD action taken report had found that mosquito breeding sites in the city had increased as a result of the increased rainfall.

Committee members also questioned the submissions of the department on fogging and spraying of insecticide, saying they were not being carried out at the ground-level.

BJP councilors Hemchand Goyal flagged out theTodd Insecticide Fog Applicator (TIFA)vehicle-mounted fogger vehicles previously used for area-wide fogging have not yet been deployed and field-level staff lack the necessary insecticides.

To MHO Rawat’s claims that adequate stocks of diesel and other drugs have been provided to zonal teams, members argued that the machines were defective and non-functional.

Goyal said that there is also a lack of personnel to operate the existing machines; the current DBC (Domestic Breeding Checker) show reluctance in carrying out specialised fogging work.

Leader of the House Jaibhagwan Yadav stated that since DBC staff have now been re-designated as MTS (Multi-Tasking Staff), they are required to operate these machines; he proposed issuing a formal circular to this effect.

Chairperson Sharma directed officials to provide written responses to all these queries. She directed that regular fogging be carried out in vulnerable areas and that extensive public awareness campaigns be conducted.