Now mandatory for hospitals to inform govt about malaria, swine flu, dengue patients
The state government notified three diseases, malaria, swine flu and dengue, on Tuesday. By notifying these diseases, the government will now get the exact number of malaria, swine flu and dengue patients across the state as private hospitals, too, will have to inform the government once they come across such patients.
Deputy secretary Paras Chand Jain issued the notification in which regulations were prescribed for these three diseases called Rajasthan Epidemic Diseases (Malaria, Seasonal Influenza (H1N1) and Dengue) Regulations, 2018.
“On getting the details, the health department can take prompt action and prevent the spread of the disease,” additional director (rural health) Dr Ravi Prakash Mathur said.
The notification stated that the inspecting officer — who could be any officer of the level of senior medical officer, epidemiologist, entomologist, medical officer, assistant malaria officer, health supervisor, health worker male/ auxiliary nursing midwife and insect collector — can be appointed by director (public health), district magistrate or the chief medical and health officer of the district concerned.
The inspecting officer will have the power to enter any premises for fever surveillance, treatment, anti-larval measures, indoor residual spray and focal spray. The inspecting officer can also issue a notice to the owner or the occupier of any place where there is water-logging and mosquitoes breed or likely to breed and ask to take measures. If the person on whom the notice is served fails or refuses to action, the officer may take them and then recover the cost along with service charges from the owner or occupier of the property.
Dr Mathur said that when doctors in government health institutions and the registered medical private practitioners of private hospitals/clinics get a patient with fever, they need to suspect it as a case of malaria during the transmission period. All government health institutions shall test malaria by microscopic examination of the blood slide prepared from the capillary sample, while private hospitals and laboratories should do a microscopic examination of blood slide for malaria testing. Wherever, rapid diagnostic test is done, it has to be antigen-based RDT.
The doctors in government and private health institutions will have to immediately inform about suspected cases of malaria, seasonal influenza and dengue to the chief medical and health officer of the concerned district.
The notification has clearly mentioned that dengue cases should be tested by ELISA (Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay) technique and use of rapid diagnostic kit for malaria and dengue is not recommended by NVBDCP due to its low sensitivity and specificity.
A fine of ₹500 will be imposed on those who disobey any of the provisions of these regulations, order or requisition or obstruct measures that are required to be taken by the government for the three diseases or other vectorborne diseases.
JAIPUR: