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Shortage of PHIs hinders battle against raging dengue
View(s):A serious shortage of Public Health Inspectors (PHIs) is hindering efforts to battle the dengue epidemic raging across the country.
Trainees are filling in the gaps.
For all of the 25 districts there are 1,900 PHIs, the Sunday Times learns.
Field visits to check mosquito breeding sites is proving difficult because there are not enough PHIs, a union claims.
The general rule is that for a population of 9,000 one PHI is appointed, but with them having to carry out more inspections, this equation is around one PHI for a population of 20,000, according to data made available by the Public Health Inspector’s Union of Sri Lanka.
Consultant community physician at the National Dengue Control Unit, Dr. Preshila Samaraweera admits there is a shortage of PHIs. “Because the PHIs are insufficient we have been told to use students who are training to be PHIs,’’ she said.
Secretary of the Public Health Inspector’s Union, Siripala Kapipearachchi told the Sunday Times that recruitment has also fallen short. He said more than 20 PHIs are awaiting appointments.
One PHI extending his services to another area amounts to one PHI being appointed for a population of 20,000 or sometimes more, he said.
There are about 1,900 PHIs and six training centres. The training centres are in Kalutara, Galle, Kadugannawa, Kurunegala, Jaffna, and Batticaloa.
According to Mr Kapipearachchi, about 275 graduate every year. This number varies when 30-40 students drop out during the one-and-half year programme.
And worse, only a few apply for PHI courses.
Mr Kapipearachchi conceded that this is also a contributory factor to the lack of PHIs.
He said that the maximum student intake at the Kalutara training centre is 100 and other centres can enrol just 50 students.
He pointed to that 22 students who graduated from Galle are still awaiting appointments.
| Dengue cases: 71,000 and countingDengue has claimed the lives of 215 Sri Lankans in the past six months and the number of cases from every district is on the increase with at least four to five cases being reported every day. The number of dengue cases is 71,298. In Colombo alone 15,763 are infected. Yet another two-week anti-dengue programme began on Tuesday in the WestenProvince, Dr. Samaraweera said. It will involve 1,500 teams including PHIs, police, tri-forces, and officials of divisional secretariats.
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Kalutara district: State-sector employees have been asked to get involved in dengue control programmes (above and below). Pix by Sarath Siriwardana
| Data held upUpdates on the dengue epidemic by the Epidemiology Unit had been interrupted because of the postal strike, the Sunday Times learns. Officials said hospitals communicate the numbers by filling out a form and posting it. The last update was on Friday, June 23. | |