Mumbai, 29 January (IANS). Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday asked the administration to make special arrangements in government hospitals for the treatment of patients amid an outbreak of Gilian-Baire syndrome (GBS).
During the presentation given by the Public Health Department at the weekly cabinet meeting held on Tuesday, he reviewed the current ground level situation about GBS.
The Chief Minister’s Office said in a statement that GBS patients are being treated, but they have instructed that special arrangements should be made in government hospitals to provide proper treatment to the patients. Treatment of this disease is included in the State Health Insurance Scheme Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Jan Arogya Yojana. If any other process is needed, it should be done by the Public Health Department.
Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said that instructions have already been issued to the administration that the patients of Pune city should be treated at Kamla Nehru Hospital of Pune Municipal Corporation and Yashwantrao Chavan Memorial Hospital of Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation.
State Health Minister Prakash Abitkar clarified that GBS is a rare disease and is not contagious because it is caused by low immunity.
He said that a review has been done in Pune in this regard. Instructions have been given regarding treatment and investigation. Accordingly, action is being taken by the state’s public health department and Pimpri Chinchwad’s Health Department of Municipal Corporations.
According to the minister, Pune currently has 111 patients, out of which 80 patients are within a radius of five kilometers. About 35 thousand houses and 94 thousand citizens have been investigated with the help of National Institute of Virology. He said that one death has been reported, but it has not yet been confirmed that it was due to GBS.
The Public Health Department said that it has taken several measures, in which the state level visits to the affected area immediately, the Pune Municipal Commissioner and Rural District Officers Instructions to increase the monitoring activities, 44 stool samples sent to NIV Pune Investigations include.
In addition, the Public Health Department has appealed to the citizens not to panic, but go to the government hospital in case of any symptoms. Citizens should also apply preventive measures like drinking boiled water and consuming fresh and clean foods. In addition, the department has suggested that ripe and unnecessary foods should not be kept together to avoid infection and emphasize personal hygiene.
-IANS
PSK/Ekde
