CHENNAI: To ensure effective implementation of disease control activities amid the surge in fever cases in the state, the Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine (DPHPM) nominated nodal officers to a total of 41 health unit districts (HUD).
Director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine Dr. T S Selvavinayagam, in a letter written to additional directors and the joint director of the DPHPM, gave instructions to effectuate everyday monitoring of the situation at the respective health unit districts (HUDs).
“The nodal officers should periodically conduct inspections and assess the functioning of the domestic breeding checkers (DBCS), logistics and supplies. They should ensure that the funds are utilised. Surprise inspections should also be conducted,” the letter read.
Dr. Selvavinayagam also said that at least 50 per cent of the programme officers should always be present at the headquarters. The officers concerned were instructed to complete the inspection in two or three days.
Nodal officers were allotted to the health unit districts including Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Erode, Karur, Kanniyakumari, the Nilgiris, Kancheepuram, Chengalpattu, Cuddalore, Nagapattinam, Thiruvallur, Poonamalee, Tenkasi, Virudhunagar, Sivakasi, Villupuram and Kallakurichi. One HUD comprises 30-40 primary health centres (PHCs).
Meanwhile, Health Minister Ma Subramanian on Tuesday cited unseasonal rains as the reason for the surge in fever cases in several districts.