Multi-Purpose Workers now to come under Health Officer’s Administrative Control
Mangaluru : Deputy Commissioner S. Sasikanth Senthil on Tuesday said that the 60 multi-purpose workers, whose primary duty was source reduction for vector-borne diseases, will, henceforth, come under the control of the District Health Officer, instead of Mangaluru City Corporation. He was responding to a question on diversion of such workers for other activities, including bill collection, by the corporation, at a joint press conference on dengue, along with Corporation Commissioner Mohammed Nazeer here.
Admitting that diversion of such workers could have been one of the reasons for the spread of dengue in the city, Senthil said that they cannot be drafted for any other duty without the approval of the health officer henceforth. Multi-purpose workers, he said, were supposed to work on source reduction before and during monsoon and thereafter, could be engaged for other works. Senthil said that he has directed the corporation to hand over their administrative control to the health officer.
To a question on the failure of city waste management handler Antony Waste Management Company to clear shoulder drains and vegetation on road flanks, Senthil said that he has directed the corporation to issue notice to the company. There was collective failure of the administration in containing dengue, he admitted and said that though the district surveillance officer was suspended for his failure to handle the situation, the doctor was back on duty.
He said that the administration’s campaign on source reduction for dengue outbreak has yielded results with a fall in fresh cases. The focus is now on three clusters which were prone to dengue from where the disease spread to other areas in the city. People have also become aware about source reduction and are ensuring no larvae growth in their vicinity.
The “Information, Education and Communication” initiative against vector-borne diseases would continue. Just like malaria coming under control following a sustained campaign last year, dengue should come under control in the coming days. As on Tuesday, there were 202 dengue in-patients at different hospitals in the district, 160 of whom were admitted in the last four days. The district has seen 650 dengue cases since January.
Source : The Hindu- Mangaluru Edition