GHMC to urge hospitals to adopt slums
HYDERABAD: With a spurt in vector and water-borne diseases in the city, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) is planning to rope in private hospitals to curb infections.
Corporate hospitals would be asked to adopt slums in their nearby areas. In those areas, hospitals would have to conduct regular health camps, awareness programmes and provide medical care to the needy.
As many vector and water-borne diseases can be tackled in the initial stages with precautions and drugs, the corporate hospitals would have to identify cases and take steps immediately when there is an outbreak of dengue, malaria, jaundice and cholera.
Over 110 dengue and 185 malaria cases were reported in the city in the last one month. Water-borne diseases like cholera and air-borne infections like mumps and measles have also been reported in the city.
Until now, medical camps were conducted only when there was an outbreak or an emergency. For instance, medical camps were conducted in Bholakpur when water pollution was reported in May last. Now, hospitals by using their machinery would have to conduct health camps periodically and treat people.
“The GHMC has written letters to corporate hospitals to adopt slums. A meeting is being planned with the hospital managements,” GHMC additional commissioner (health and sanitation) S K Aleem Basha told TOI.
There are 1,448 slums in the Greater Hyderabad area and of them 370 slums are non notified ones. Though various infrastructure development works like roads, schools and housing schemes were taken up in the last few years, improvement of health conditions has taken a backseat.
“The process of identifying slums where diseases were reported or are vulnerable has begun,” GHMC additional commissioner (urban community development) K Shiva Parvathi said.
Some hospitals are now and then holding camps in some areas as part of their social responsibility programmes. But now, the hospitals would have to concentrate only on some pockets and adopt them.
