VELLORE:The department of public health services kept its 800-plus medico and paramedic teams and the Vellore corporation has kept its 1,100 plus health and sanitation team members on alert to tackle accidents, health-related issues following widespread rains in the district for the past three days.
Deputy Director of Health Services, Dr Poonkodi, said that Rapid Response Teams (RRTs) are in place in every block in the district and all PHCs have an adequate stock of medicines for tackling rain-related diseases. All water-distribution points across the districts are being monitored and super-chlorination has been carried out from Monday with households receiving water with 1 ppm chlorine to rule out contamination
A medical relief camp was conducted at Anawarthikanpettai near Sholinghur last week when a part of the village had faced water logging problems, she added.
Dr Vasanth Diwakar, Corporation Health officer (CHO) said that the low lying areas - Dideer Nagar, Kansalpettai, Mullipalayam, parts of Shenbakkam - were being monitored and water-logging in those areas were being cleared.
“Luckily, there was no heavy downpour on all the three days and hence no major drainage related issues,” he pointed out. .
“Our focus is to prevent water-borne diseases and 4 urban PHCs maintained by the corporation and the five maintained by the department of public health services within the corporation limit are distributing Nilavembu Kudineer to all the visiting patients,” he said to prevent dengue.
The CHO said that under the National Urban Health Mission, the corporation conducted around 120 health-outreach programmes since June to extend healthcare facilities to people living in slums, remote and low lying localities. These outreach camps have helped people receive periodical immunization, blood tests, ante-natal care, dental and psychiatry services besides supplying necessary medication . These initiatives have helped contain outbreaks of disease, he added.