Ganesh mandals too to battle disease,seek permission to hold health camps

The Brihanmumbai Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Samanvaya Samiti,an umbrella organisation of mandals,has sought one civic doctor each for every mandal,where he can consult patients. Samiti president Naresh Dahibawkar said they would put forward their proposals to civic health officials this week. “Ganeshotsav is a popular festival in the city and people from all classes and religious backgrounds visit the mandals. There are a large number of mandals within slum pockets that also happen to be vulnerable areas for contracting malaria. We can use this platform not only to create an awareness about preventive steps but also lend our manpower for fogging purposes.”

Vikas Mandal secretary Abodh Kanjure said they decided to buy a hand-held fogging machine for a little over Rs 20,000 as the mandal area was a breeding ground for mosquitoes. “A lot of people gather in pandals and the chances of the virus spreading are more. We have been regularly fumigating the area.”

The BMC has welcomed the proposal. Additional municipal commissioner (health) Manisha Mhaiskar said the civic body would support the mandals by trying to provide the necessary medical infrastructure. “We will try and provide medicines and other services to the camps,” said Mhaiskar.

Meanwhile,the BMC’s toll-free helpline for disaster management — 108 — received 150 malaria-related calls on its first day. Chief disaster management officer Mahesh Narvekar said doctors from BMC hospitals were being posted to handle queries on 12-hour shifts. “Today,we had doctors from BYL Nair Hospital. They dealt with questions on what symptoms should prompt people to take malaria tests,and what should be the treatment protocol.”

There were also calls alerting the civic body about mosquito-breeding sites. “We assured them that fogging activities would be carried out with immediate effect.”