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The Centre is sending ten teams of Psychiatrists to the Andaman and Nicobar islands and other affected areas for addressing psycho-social issues in the wake of the large scale loss of life and property. This is an addition to about 75 doctors including 29 public health specialists and 20 nurses who are already been assisting the local health authorities and the affected coastal regions in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The Director General of Health Services, Dr. S.P. Aggarwal with a high level team is at Port Blair and is reviewing the medical relief arrangement.
The Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Dr. A. Ramadoss is personally overseeing the relief activities in the coastal areas of Andhra Pradesh and Tamilnadu. He earlier visited the Tsunami affected coastal areas of Andhra Pradesh and the affected coastal districts in Tamilnadu last week to make an on the spot assessment. The Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Smt. P. Lakshmi is to visit the Tsunami affected areas of Chennai tomorrow and review the relief work in the affected areas of Nellore, in Andhra Pradesh.
Meanwhile, about Rs. 80 lakh worth of emergency medical stores have been supplied to Pondicherry and the Andaman and Nicobar islands. This include drugs worth Rs.60 lakh which have been dispatched to the island authorities.
In addition to essential drugs for treating any outbreaks of Typhoid, Cholera or Diarrhea, the Union Health Ministry has also sent intravenous sets, blood pressure apparatus, rubber sheets, blood slides, bone cutters and about 4 lakh disposable syringes with needles. As already reported yesterday, 15 MT of bleaching powder has already been air lifted to the islands and another 35 MT are under dispatch with the Indian Airlines.
In Andaman and Nicobar islands, there are two district hospitals, four community health centres, twenty primary health centres and 107 sub-centres additing up to a total of 148 health facilities. The district hospital at Car Nicobar has been made operational. The Union Health Ministry has again confirmed that as on date, there are no reports of any outbreak of epidemics in any of the affected areas either in the south or in the Andaman and Nicobar islands. Surveillance teams are in position in all the affected areas and local health authorities have taken necessary steps in providing clean drinking water and promoting hygiene and sanitation to prevent outbreaks of any epidemics.
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