The North News
Chandigarh, September 22
Punjab’s week-long health campaign in flood-hit areas treated nearly 2.5 lakh people, with officials reporting only five malaria cases. Health Minister Dr Balbir Singh said teams had conducted 2,47,958 outpatient consultations across 2,303 villages since the drive began on 14 September. The campaign has so far provided treatment for 31,717 fever cases, 7,832 cases of diarrhoea, 36,119 skin infections and 16,884 eye infections, preventing what he described as potential large-scale outbreaks.
Launched on the orders of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, the campaign deployed government doctors, private volunteers, Ayurveda practitioners and MBBS interns, backed by more than 20,000 ASHA workers who carried out door-to-door screening in over seven lakh households. The minister said only five malaria cases were detected during this period, crediting the low incidence to early intervention. Health teams also distributed 2.27 lakh essential kits. Vector-control operations targeted 6.22 lakh households, with mosquito breeding sites destroyed in over 11,500 homes. Preventive larvicide was sprayed in 1.43 lakh houses, while fumigation was carried out across all flood-hit villages. “These numbers represent a successful containment of a health disaster,” the Health Minister said. “Where major outbreaks were anticipated, our pre-emptive strategy has created a strong health shield around communities.”
