NORTH EAST MONSOON-2011 COMMUNICATIONS

VERY URGENT NORTH EAST MONSOON 2011 R. No. 78007 / EPI / S1 / 2011-4 Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, 359, Anna Salai, DMS Campus, Teynampet, Chennai Date 20-10-2011 Sub: Public Health – North East Monsoon – Pre monsoon preparedness 2011- Minutes of the meeting of Chief Secretary to Govt., - communicated for necessary action – regarding. Ref:1) Letter No. 30140 / EM II / 2011-9, Dated 04.10.2011 of the Principal Secretary to Govt., Revenue Department, Secretariat, Chennai. 2) Govt. Letter No. 28986/P1/2011-2, dated 11.10.2011 of the Deputy Secretary to Govt., Health and Family Welfare (P1) Department, Chennai. - - - - - - - - An extract of the minutes of the Pre-Monsoon prepared meeting for North East Monsoon – 2011 held on 23.09.2011 under the Chairmanship of Chief Secretary to Govt., Govt. of Tamil Nadu is furnished. “Health & Medical Services” “The Health Secretary and the Municipal Administration Secretary ( Wherever applicable ) were requested to ensure availability of medicines in hospitals and dispensaries. Appointment of additional staff for spraying of disinfectants and preventing out break of epidemics is an important responsibility which should be properly discharged. The public should have access to hospitals and for this it is important that roads leading to hospitals are maintained in good condition. There should not be any water logging in and around hospitals for which adequate arrangements to pump out water are to be ensured”. All the Deputy Directors of Health Services are requested to circulate the extract of the minutes to all the Medical Officers of Primary Health Centres for immediate necessary action and action taken report in this regard should be collected by the Deputy Directors of Health Services and a consolidated action taken report on the minutes should be submitted to this directorate immediately. While submitting the report on action taken, the activities carried on good maintenance of roads leading to Primary Health Centres for easy accessibility for the public and arrangements made to pump out water in case of water logging in and around Primary Health Centres should be clearly brought in the action taken report. Further Deputy Directors of Health Services are requested to ensure the following. o Ensure the availability of Drugs, Medicines, ORS Pockets and Disinfectants including Chloroscope kits in all the Primary Health Centres o All preventive and surveillance activities to be strengthened against the Water and Vector borne outbreaks and intensify the institutional surveillance to detect early warning signals of epidemics. o District and Block Level Contingency Plan for the North East Monsoon 2011 should be kept ready and should be operative during the North East Monsoon. o 24 X 7 Epidemic cell made functional in the Office of the Deputy Director of Health Services and in all the Block Level Primary Health Centres. o The Field staff should be instructed to keep the area under close observation and prompt reporting to higher authorities and all the Flied staff are to be placed under alert. o Medical teams should visit the flood affected areas / shelters daily and report on the cases treated in the prescribed format already communicated should be faxed (or) e.mail to this directorate along with action taken report on flood situation. o Block Medical Officer / Block Health Supervisor of Block Primary Health Centres to keep in touch with the Revenue Officials, Block Development Officer and Executive Officer of Town Panchayats in coordinating in controlling the Epidemic situation as and when arise. R.T. Porkaipandian Director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Chennai. To All the Deputy Directors of Health Services Copy to 1) All the District Collectors 2) All the Joint Directors of Health Services 3) All Programme Officers at the Directorate