Special duty for docs in Gandhinagar slums

“The figure is higher than the cases registered in July last year,” said Dr H K Naik,Senior Medical Officer,Civil Hospital.

District Collector and Magistrate P Swaroop said,“I have instructed all health officers to press more men into service and collect samples from slums,so that no case can go undetected. We have also asked construction site owners to follow certain guidelines (to check mosquito and water-borne diseases)… Our focus is to educate the people and to detect cases in the initial stages.”

Dr Naik said that doctors from all the government hospitals of the 10 sectors visit slums between 1 pm and 3 pm daily. “They collect blood samples and treat patients. At 5 pm,they send reports to the zilla panchayat,” he added.

He said that most cases are reported from villages like Vavol and Kolavada on the city outskirts,where potholes on the roads work as a breeding ground for mosquitoes.