Cuttack: With the number of jaundice patients in Cuttack city going up to 27 today with 10 more patients identified by the Health department, the state government has decided to take steps on war-footing to stop the further spread of the water borne disease.
To take stock of the situation, an emergency meeting was held today in the presence of Health and Family Welfare minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak and Housing and Urban Development minister Pushpendra Singhdeo.
Briefing media persons after an emergency meeting here this afternoon, Nayak said his department has taken proactive steps to bring the disease under control.
“A team of doctors have been pressed on duty to collect blood samples from the people in the affected areas of the city for test. To identify the patients within a short time for house-to-house survey, the Health department has increase the number of the mobile team from six to 20,” he added.
Talking about the measures to be taken by his department, the Housing and Urban Development minister said all old water pipelines in the city will be repaired and some new pipelines would be laid at a cost of Rs 76 crore.
“To detect the leakage in the pipelines, the administration would press 20 squads in the city from tomorrow,” Singhdeo said.
He further said the squads will also assist the Health department in the awareness programme in the city to apprise the people of the preventive measures against jaundice.