AJK president lauds state health authorities for successfully containing coronavirus in Poonch division

MIRPUR (AJK): May 04 (APP):Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) President Sardar Masood Khan Monday lauded performance of all the stakeholders including the state health authorities for successfully containing the coronavirus in Poonch division.
He expressed these views during his visit to Rawalakot to examine the strategy and to review the arrangements made to respond to the situation erupted out of novel coronavirus.
Speaking during the briefing given by commissioner Poonch Division Abdul Hameed Mughal at the Circuit House, the state president appreciated the administration of Poonch district, police, doctors, nurses and paramedical staff for making untiring efforts with the cooperation of Ulema and the people, to respond to the pandemic and involving philanthropists and well off people in providing relief to vulnerable communities.
He expressed pleasure that no death from the infectious virus had taken place nor the symptoms had been found in suspected patients admitted to the hospitals and quarantine centres in the whole division. This was proof of the hectic efforts of all stakeholders including the administration and health department to contain the pandemic, he added.
Earlier in his briefing, commissioner Poonch division said in the light of the government’s guidelines after the outbreak of coronavirus, public and private building, mostly guesthouses were acquired, and quarantine centres were established for 139 people in Poonch district, 132 people in Bagh district, 42 people in Sadhnoti district, and 36 people in Haveli district, and about 20,000 face masks and 35 personal protection equipments (PPEs) provided by National Disaster Management Authority were distributed among the doctors, nurses and paramedical staff.
He said only 12 of 226 suspected patients were tested positive in Poonch district, two of 167 found positive in Bagh district, and 10 of 120 in Sadhnoti district, while no one from amongst eight patients in Haveli district was tested positive.
The commissioner said more than 450 million rupees had so far been disbursed among 37,248 people under Ehsas Emergency Cash Relief Programme while sufficient quantity of food and items and petroleum products in all four districts of the students.
Deputy Inspector General Police, Sardar Rashid Naeem, Director General Health Dr Sardar Aftab Khan, Deputy Commissioner Poonch Arshad Mehmood Jaral, Senior Superintendent of Police, Chaudhery Zulqurnain and other officials were also present on the occasion.
Later in a briefing during visit CMH Rawalpindi Deputy Commander Officer Lt Col Ali Akhtar told the AJK president that soon after the coronavirus had broken out, all necessary arrangements were made for establishing a separate ward for potential coronavirus patients, training of the staff, and the availability of medical equipment. Besides, PCR machine for the tests of patients was also made available in the hospital in the second week of April, and this machine was smoothly functioning.
He said the CMH Rawalakot with the cooperation of World Health Organization and National Institute of Health Islamabad had taken a number of steps for the training of doctors and the paramedical staff as well as the laboratory staff of hospitals.
Expressing satisfaction over preparations and arrangements made by the CMH Rawalakot to respond to coronavirus, the AJK president expressed gratitude for the commanding officer.
Later, the state president visited different parts of the hospital, and inquired about the health of patients admitted to the hospital.