A coordination meeting to accelerate the preparatory work for control and prevention of Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) was held at Mandalay General Hospital yesterday morning.

At the meeting, Union Minister Dr Myint Htwe of the Ministry of Health and Sports explained how the heads of Mandalay hospitals, the professors/heads of departments of the Mandalay General Hospital, the specialized surgeons and health personnel should involve in the preventive measures, being executed by the ministry, according to the prevailing situation both in China and in some countries. “We should keep a constant surveillance as many Chinese people are residing in Mandalay and its neighbouring towns,” he said.

The death rate is now soaring up to 2.8 per cent and transmission rate from the infected person is also high. So the control and preventive measures must be carried out in Mandalay and its adjacent towns as well as factories and workplaces. “We need to reinforce the measures being undertaken,” he added.

He pointed out that some in-patients are now under surveillance and treatment both in public and private hospitals in Mandalay Region. If some patients may be verified positive by laboratory tests or there may be some serious cases, they should be provided with quality treatment in line with the clinical management directives, compiled by the medical professors and issued by the ministry. Precaution measures should also be taken properly upon those, who cross the entry points legal or illegal and show no sign of symptoms during their incubation periods.

In the implementation work, all the Mandalay Region health officials should lay down their decisions in accord with multiple perspectives such as public health, medical service, social, economic and trade. One of the important factors is that majority of Chinese people, who enter into Mandalay Region by air, are staying in the residences that they rented in prior. “We should need a mapping where they’re staying and accelerate our control and preventive measures by using the Chinese language,” he said.

Similarly, the health information leaflets in the Chinese language are being distributed at border entry points with China. Health information about COVID-19 should be well aware among the people in Mandalay Region as public involvement is also very important. There should be clear concise information and data for the people. Health personnel, who have to work closely with the in-patients in the quarantined wards, should also be kept under surveillance and in isolation from their family members so that it can benefit for all.

“We are making efforts to control and prevent the COVID-19. In such doing, the younger generation — doctors and personnel of medical profession alike — can draw many lessons and experiences they gained in order to prevent and contain any possible epidemic infectious diseases in the future,” he added.

A comprehensive written account should be done on the preventive measures being undertaken in Mandalay Region. After review and scrutiny, it is also necessary to prepare for any future threat of infections. In order to have an easier check on those who are in the quarantined wards of the Mandalay Region hospitals, there should be a format for a quick review of preparedness on hospitals. “We shall need to designate the Kandawnadi Hospital to prepare for control and prevention if any outbreak of infectious diseases may occur. Incorrect news and rumours should also be clarified to the public,” he said.

Correct information and data should be disseminated to all those who are undertaking the control and preventive measures and after review and scrutiny, they should reinforce the implementation work where necessary.

“The Mandalay General Hospital will receive an additional supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) and suits as soon as possible as we have cooperated with the WHO and other UN organizations,” he added.

The meeting also discussed the matters pertaining to the WHO announcement of Global Emergency on Coronavirus on 30 January 2020 and its relevant information, the control and preventive measures undertaken by Myanmar on 5 February 2020, the health information awareness campaign, dissemination of correct and real-time information to the public to avoid fear and panic among them due to incorrect news and rumours, dissemination of information on work progress to those who are undertaking the control and preventive measures, necessary preparation for adequate personal protective equipment (PPE), and progress in health condition of the in-patients who are in the quarantined wards of the hospitals.

The meeting was attended by the Director-General (Union Minister’s Office), the Director-General (Public Health & Medical Services Department), the Deputy Director-General (Medical Services), the Deputy Director-General (Control Diseases), the Deputy Director-General (Procurement & Distribution), Head of Mandalay General Hospital, professors, surgeons, the Director (Communicable Diseases Control – Central), the Director (Promotion of Health Education), and health officials among others.

MNA

(Translated by Aungthu Ya)

PHOTO: MNA

Ref; The Global New Light of Myanmar