Reports of 10 gastro deaths refuted

KHARAR, Aug 5: Roopnagar Civil Surgeon Dr Rajinder Singh Saggu, who is also reviewing the steps being taken for prevention of gastroenter...

KHARAR, Aug 5: Roopnagar Civil Surgeon Dr Rajinder Singh Saggu, who is also reviewing the steps being taken for prevention of gastroenteritis in the district, today refuted the reports which appeared in a section of press suggesting that gastroenteritis had claimed 10 lives in the district.

Speaking to the Chandigarh Newsline, Dr Saggu said that so far only three persons in Noorie Colony of Shyampura village near Roopnagar had died due to gastroenteritis and that the remaining seven deaths were not due to gastroenteritis, as reported.

Meanwhile, Health Services Director Dr Manmohan Kaur today said that the Punjab Health Department was geared up to meet the threat of gastroenteritis in the state. She said that Roopnagar Civil Surgeon Dr Rajinder Singh Saggu was touring the affected labour colony near Roopnagar to review the steps being taken for prevention of the disease and to ensure adequate medical facilities.

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She further disclosed that all the civil surgeons in the state had been directed to ensure adequate stock of medicines in the government hospitals and dispensaries. The directions to organise “health education training camps” to educate the general public regarding the disease and how to prevent themselves from unhygienic conditions has also been issued to all the civil surgeons in the state, she added.

Senior Medical Officer in-charge of the Kharar Civil Hospital Dr Sukhwant Singh Dhanoa told CN that not a single gastro case had been reported to them so far.

On the other hand, a majority of leading private practitioners of the township maintained that gastro cases were reported at their clinics. According to them, one-third of the total outdoor patients which report at their clinics daily were suffering from gastroenteritis.