Civil Surgeons to ensure screening of symptomatic patients in rural areas: Balbir Sidhu

Chandigarh, May 1 (UNI) Punjab Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu on Saturday held a virtual meeting with the civil surgeons of 11 district to ramp up the screening of symptomatic persons on war footing especially in rural areas of Punjab as well as to take stock of preparation being made at Government and Private COVID Care Centres.
While presiding over the meeting, the Minister said that still, there is misconception among the people that they are suffering from the seasonal viral and typhoid etc but ultimately when they reached the hospitals due to breathing complications, they are diagnosed with COVID-19 at later stage.
Expressing concern over these circumstances, he instructed the Civil Surgeons to intensify the screening drive in villages as 58 per cent deaths have been registered in rural populations against 27 per cent COVID-19 cases.
Mr Sidhu said that considering the high CFR of State, there is also need to keep close watch on the functioning of Private Clinics/RMPs in villages. He said that Senior Medical Officers must ensure the COVID testing of every single symptomatic person who are getting the treatment from such clinics.
If any private health facility has not shared the information concerning the symptomatic persons on routine basis, they must be booked under the Epidemic Diseases Act for violating Government‘s guidelines,