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'Kolombata
kiri, apata kekiri' By Faraza
Farook But what of
the rest of the country? Cases of dengue continue to be reported
from all parts of the island despite several measures introduced
by health authorities in the wake of the outbreak in May. Although orders
have been sent to all MOH offices in the country to carry out anti-dengue
campaigns, much of the attention has been centred in and around
Colombo. Lack of staff, finances and other essentials have provided
limited scope for an effective and comprehensive programme in many
districts. "Kolombata kiri, apata kekiri' said one senior administrative
official from the Kurunegala district who complained that little
has been done with regard to public awareness. Until last
week (June 21), 29 deaths and a total of 3999 suspected dengue cases
had been reported islandwide - as against 4275 cases reported for
2001. While Colombo
has the highest number of cases reported-a staggering 1024, other
districts such as Gampaha, Kandy, Kurunegala, Kalmunai, Ratnapura
and Kalutara too have had a significant number of cases. Yet, most of
the programmes for dengue control have been focused on Colombo with
authorities in some districts complaining about the difficulties
they face in carrying out programmes successfully to curb the dengue
threat. "We get
stepmotherly treatment, because we're the provincial sector,"
says one health officer in the Hambantota district adding, "we
get just enough money to pay the salaries and overtime of our staff,
so how do we carry out programmes?" In the event that funds
were available, the maximum that could be spent was Rs. 10,000,
he said. Moreover, the Provincial Health Office and other health
institutions in Hambantota are also crippled by a severe shortage
of staff. The transfer
of the Regional Epidemiologist was another blow to the health services
in the district, especially at a time of an outbreak such as this.
Supervisory positions remain vacant with the Provincial Health Office
not having a single supervisory officer, such as Chief PHIs etc.
for any of the categories. Thus, the available officers have no
choice but to work on a shift basis. The Matara
district, which was badly affected when a dengue outbreak turned
into an epidemic in 2000, has not fared much better this year. Although
the number of cases are considerably lower this time, here again,
the lack of permanent health officials is a problem. "We work
with Samurdhi beneficiaries, Government Agents and Grama Niladharis
in implementing our programmes," Deputy Provincial Director
of Health Dr. J.D. Senarath said. Though health
authorities boast of an effective programme to contain the disease,
Gampaha has the second highest number of reported cases which stands
at 707 until June 21, according to the Epidemiology Unit. According
to the Regional Director of Health Services (RDHS) 10 deaths have
been reported so far for this year while cases have been reported
since January. He admits that
the number of cases is higher than last year and attributes the
outbreak to the public's lack of support for dengue control programmes.
RDHS Dr. L. Padmasiri said most schools pay little attention to
the state of their environs where many dengue breeding grounds have
been found. Dr. Padmasiri
claimed that anti-dengue programmes have been carried out throughout
the year, while more mobilisation is done during an outbreak. Yet,
cases continue to be reported. Presently, in order to enlist community
participation, the RDHS office is establishing Community Health
Clubs which will be under the supervision of PHIs and midwives who
will work with the people to create awareness and eradicate dengue
breeding grounds. While the provincial
sectors feel the pinch, the Health Ministry seems oblivious to their
problems. Health Ministry officials said every step had been taken
to ensure that programmes are implemented in other parts of the
country. A health officer has been appointed for each province to
supervise the implementation of the anti-dengue campaign. But what
of the rising death toll? |
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Copyright © 2001 Wijeya Newspapers
Ltd. All rights reserved. |
