THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Health Department will strengthen the Arogya Jagratha campaign in the state, presuming an outbreak of water-borne and vector-borne diseases during monsoon.
For the effective containment of communicable diseases, the department will also undertake training sessions for doctors and nurses in government and private hospitals. Assistance of various service organisations and associations will also be sought.
The decisions were taken at a high-level meeting chaired by Health Minister K K Shailaja on Thursday.
“The Cabinet had earlier decided to undertake a two-day statewide cleanliness drive with public participation on May 11 and 12. As part of this, ministers in charge of each district will convene an assessment meeting on May 3 and 4. The ministers have also been entrusted with the responsibility to oversee the Arogya Jagratha campaign,” Shailaja said.
Under the programme, the coordination of departments like Water Resources, Public Works, Education, Social Justice, Labour, Fisheries, Railways, Home, Disaster Management, Suchitwa Mission, Haritha Keralam Mission and others will be ensured.
At the meeting, Shailaja said incidents of viral outbreaks were less intense in 2018 than previous years, mainly due to the Arogya Jagratha campaign. It was following the dengue outbreak in 2017 which killed 165 persons that the Health Department launched the year-long Arogya Jagratha campaign last January to prevent contagious diseases by coordinating with various departments.