Darjeeling, April 30: Alarmed by the reports of two confirmed cases of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in Calcutta, the health department of the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC) has directed the authorities to set up separate isolation wards in the district hospital here and the two subdivisional hospitals at Kurseong and Kalimpong within 24 hours.
The DGHC also issued an order cancelling all leave of its staff till August 31.
The order, issued by DGHC health councillor I.N. Pradhan, says that medical officers, nursing staff, technical personnel, field staff and health assistants must remain in their respective headquarters to tackle emergencies.
The separate isolation ward in the district hospital at Darjeeling will have five beds for men and an equal number for woman patients.
The subdivisional hospitals in Kurseong and Kalimpong and the block primary health centre will have five beds each.
Though no suspected SARS case has been reported from the hills so far, the DGHC is taking no chances in the wake of the two confirmed cases reported from Calcutta.
The department has also directed that any patient suffering from high fever, breathing difficulty, chest pain, dry cough, chill, sneezing, shortness of breath and circular skin lesions — all symptoms of SARS — has to be immediately reported to the nearby health unit.
The paramedics, on their part, have been instructed to treat patients only after wearing masks and gloves. They should avoid contact with utensils, clothing and any other items used by the patients.
In an effort to prevent panic and rumours from spreading in the hills, the department has also sought the cooperation of all the four hill municipalities of Darjeeling, Kurseong, Mirik and Kalimpong and has asked them to launch an awareness campaign.
Apart from SARS, the health department has also taken note of the impeding monsoon season, during which water borne-diseases are common occurrences.
The order has directed the assistant chief medical officer of health of all the subdivisions to intensify checking of establishments selling food items, cut-fruits and to keep an eye on those selling ice-creams in the open, especially around public places.
“The services of the subdivisional food inspectors are to be utilised intensively for this purpose,” the order says.
The order gains importance in the wake of the viral fever raging in Singla, near the Bengal-Sikkim border. Around 20 people came down with high fever and one person died.
The state health department, however, ruled out an outbreak and said viral fever was common during this time of the year.
The health department has also directed all the block medical officers of health to call meetings of the gram panchayat pradhans within their jurisdictions to make them aware of the situation and ensure that rumours do not spread.
