Floods and landslides GMOA ready for any health issues
By Umesh Moramudali-2016-05-23With the disaster situation affecting several areas in the country, a lot of health concerns are likely to arise. In order to dig deep into possible health concerns Ceylon Today interviewed Government Medical Officers' Association (GMOA) Assistant Secretary Dr. Naveen de Soysa. In the interview, he stressed that with the disaster situation there are possibilities of spreading communicable diseases.
He said when the flood starts to reduce there can be threats of spreading communicable diseases such as dengue. In order to address the issue we need to enhance the prevention, care and the issue needs to be looked at from a public health angle. For that a team consisting of medical officers who specialized in community medicine will be deployed. At the moment preventive measures are being taken. Together with the Health Ministry they are enhancing the awareness of the public regarding the health concerns.
The coordination work is done through the information received from the Medical Officers of Health (MOH) in respective areas. He further said public need to be concerned of children who were affected by the flood as they are more vulnerable. Most of the children are likely to deal with a lot of mental pressure at the moment which could affect them adversely in the long run. Therefore, steps need to be taken to prevent children being affected mentally.
The coordination work is done through the information received from the Medical Officers of Health (MOH) in respective areas. He further said public need to be concerned of children who were affected by the flood as they are more vulnerable. Most of the children are likely to deal with a lot of mental pressure at the moment which could affect them adversely in the long run. Therefore, steps need to be taken to prevent children being affected mentally.
He further added that a special hotline was established to address the health concerns arising due to disaster situation. That is 0710147075. Public can use the hotline to inform about the need of medical officers, establishing health camps, medicine or any health emergency via the hotline.
Excerpts:
?At the moment some of the areas in the country are severely affected by the adverse weather. Thousands of people had become homeless while some were trapped in houses due to the floods. What are the possible health hazards during such disaster situations?
A: At the moment there are a lot of activities going on regarding the health of those affected by the adverse weather. Due to the disaster situation, there are acute health problems. A lot of people had lost their houses and had become homeless. As a result of that there is a huge issue regarding the provision of basic needs for many people. At the moment, many people are vulnerable for a lot of illnesses. There is a possibility of people not receiving sufficient amount of food and they may also fall ill due to lack of food.
Those who are taking treatment for non-communicable diseases will find it difficult to have medicine. For example, a person who is taking medicine for high blood pressure or diabetes is likely to face difficulties in finding the medicine. In that sense, there is a risk of increasing Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) as the people may not have sufficient medicine. On the other hand, there is a very high risk of spreading communicable diseases due to the dearth of clean water as well as lack of proper sanitary facilities. For example, there is a risk of spreading diarrhoea and fever.
Further, there are people who were injured due to the disaster situation. That too is a health concern we are looking at. We need to manage this situation. For that, GMOA together with the Health Ministry had established a Disaster Management Coordinating Centre. We have assigned medical officers who have completed postgraduate in disaster management and those who specialized in community medicine to carry out these tasks.
Already we have started health camps together with the Health Ministry. Director General of Health Services is working with us. At the moment, we will make sure that doctors will be made available according to the needs of the people in flood affected areas. GMOA has informed all 102 branches and is ready to deploy the doctors to any area. We are providing services through the coordination centre.
Secondly, we need to be concerned of the children who were affected by the floods as they are more vulnerable. Most of the children are likely to deal with a lot of mental pressure at the moment which could affect them adversely in the long run. Therefore, steps need to be taken to prevent children being affected mentally. Already, pediatricians are looking into it.
Further, when the flood starts to reduce, there can be threats of spreading communicable diseases such as dengue. In order to address the issue we need to enhance the prevention, care and the issue need to be looked at from a public health angle. For that a team consisting of medical officers who specialized on community medicine will be deployed. At the moment preventive measures are being taken.
Together with the Health Ministry GMOA is enhancing the awareness of the public regarding the health concerns. The coordination work is done through the information received from the Medical Officers in Health (MOH) in respective areas. GMOA is providing the support for MOH officers in flood affected areas in order to carry out their duties.
Also, there can be post-traumatic disorders. In order to address such issues, GMOA is working together with the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) to provide counselling services. A GMOA executive committee member is represented in the Disaster Management Committee in the Health Ministry. Through that the coordination work is done properly without the work being duplicated. We also work with the Disaster Management Coordination Centre.
? Has any hotline established to get any support for health concerns?
A: Yes. We have established a hotline to address the health concerns arising due to the disaster situation. The number is: 0710147075. Members of the public can reach the hotline to inform us about the need of medical officers, establishing health camps, medicine or any health other health issue via the hotline. It is open 24 hours.
?What are the diseases that have the risk of spreading during the disaster situation and during the post-disaster period?
A: In any disaster situation communicable diseases can spread very fast. Referring to the disaster situation that is being affected now, there is a risk of spreading diarrhoea, particularly among children. Also there is a risk of spreading dengue and other diseases spread by mosquitoes. In addition to that people who suffer from high blood pressure can even get strokes due to the unavailability of medicine. Therefore, we need to take preventive measures as soon as possible. Failure would lead us to a worse disaster. Throughout the history, no such issue happened during the post-disaster period in Sri Lanka. Even during tsunami disaster people's health concerns were addressed. The healthcare services during the disasters as well as preventive care were up to the standard. If we work like during previous disasters we will be able to minimize the health concerns that could arise due to disasters.
?What is the advice you could give to those who are affected as well as those who support the affected?
A: Mainly, the donors, particularly food donors are advised to go through MOH offices. The quality of the food provided should be ensured. If not the flood affected people will have to face more inconveniences. We cannot strictly advise people to drink hot water in this situation. It is advisable to provide bottled water for drinking purposes and donors are expected to provide bottled water as much as possible.
? What is the role of the government in this situation?
A: So far, the Director General of Health Services has looked in to the matter and actively engaged in providing solutions to the health concerns of those who were affected by the adverse weather. GMOA is extending its fullest support, particularly in deploying doctors.
The government should allocate sufficient funds for preventive care. Sufficient sanitary facilities need to be provided. For example, if there are only two or three toilets for a camp housing around 600 people that would be a huge health concern. The government must ensure that such issues would not arise.
?Did GMOA come across any concerns so far in providing health assistance to the people?
A: We have not come across any concerns so far. In one camp, there were six people suffering from diarrhoea. In a few camps there were one or two people suffering from skin infections. GMOA continuously requests to ensure the quality of the food provided.
