Stress on health care, hygiene in Puri Town

BHUBANESWAR:  With a week to go for the world famous Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath at Puri, the Health and Family Welfare Department has made elaborate arrangements to provide health care services to devotees.It has been decided to deploy 167 doctors, including 31 specialists, for the Car Festival while 160 paramedics and 20 staff nurses will be pressed into service.  Reviewing the Rath Yatra preparation at the Secretariat here on Saturday, Health Minister Pratap Jena stressed on hygiene in the town and directed officials to intensify inspections at eateries to ensure that no stale food is served.

“We have decided to open 70 first aid centres in Puri town and along the national highway. While the Department will open 34 such centres, different private organisations will set up 36 centres to provide healthcare to visitors. All the centres will be equipped with required medicines and emergency kits,” he told mediapersons after the meeting.The State Government will deploy 374 health staff, including 194 attendants, in the Pilgrim Town to meet exigencies. Special arrangements have been made and two sunstroke wards opened at the District Headquarters Hospital (DHH) for sunstroke and sunburn victims.

As many as 68 ambulances, including 38 from voluntary organisations, will be kept ready along with 15 wheel chairs and 30 stretchers at different places in and around the town. Apart from the facilities at DHH, 81 more beds have been arranged at private health institutions.Meanwhile, the food inspectors have started inspections of food as well as water at different hotels and eateries in the coastal town. So far, 913 hotels and fast food stalls have been checked, more than six quintals of stale food destroyed.“Cases have been registered against 98 persons and `29,690 collected as fine. About 126 food samples have been sent for tests. Health awareness campaigns will be intensified during the event,” the Minister added.