In light of the increasing cases of dengue Karnal MLA Jagmohan Anand, on Wednesday, chaired a meeting of the health department regarding the vacant chief medical officer (CMO) and principal medical officer (PMO) posts .
So far, the health officials said that 327 cases of dengue have been reported in the district till date, though no patient has died of the vector-borne disease yet this year.
However, sources said the number could be much higher than the government figures as most of the residents opt for private labs and hospitals for treatment that in turn do not report the cases to the government, despite reminders.
This keeps the authorities on their toes to maintain a more accurate count of infections and identified hot spots to further curb the spread. Four to five areas have shown the highest concentration of cases, sources added.
Soniya Sharma, a homemaker and a resident of Karnal said that she was declared dengue positive last week and had to spend three days at a hospital as her platelet count dropped.
“I’m still unable to recall where I got infected. I’ve been at my home during those days for Diwali preparations. However, there has been no regular sweeping on the roads in our lane, there is a pile of garbage in the park near our house and water gets collected there,” she added.
Similarly, Aditya Bhardwaj, a skill trainer said, “My wife was infected last month, and we are still clueless about the cause. There is a dearth of civic amenities in our localities, and we are helpless and have to pay private individuals to collect garbage or clean drains.”
Further, key posts in the department have been lying vacant for the last several months, which is not only impacting the management of health services but has stopped the processing of all financial transactions.
Sources in the department said that the post of CMO or civil surgeon has been vacant since August 6, following the promotion of the then CMO Dr Krishan Kumar, who further went on to become BJP MLA from Bawal seat of Rewari.
Similarly, the post of PMO at district civil hospital lies vacant since the retirement of previous PMO Dr Sanjeev Grover on March 31.
Although Kaithal civil surgeon Dr Renu Chawla was given additional charge of Karnal and Dr Balwan Singh, senior-most senior medical officer (SMO) the charge of PMO, regular appointments are still awaited.
In view of the spike in dengue cases, BJP MLA Jagmohan Anand chaired a meeting of health officials in the presence of Dr Chawla, deputy civil surgeons and other officials.
After the meeting, he said that officials have been instructed to keep all active measures in place to prevent further spread of dengue.
Regarding the appointments, the MLA said that chief minister Nayab Saini, who will be in the town for Chhatt Pooja celebrations, will be apprised about all vacant posts at district headquarters including the office of civil surgeon.
