Nadda chairs meeting on Ebola to strengthen preparedness, response management

Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda chaired an inter-ministerial meeting here to review the situation arising out of Ebola Virus disease outbreak in West Africa.

The Health Minister during the meeting held yesterday gave directions that in order to ensure the isolation facilities set up at airports adhere to all standards guidelines, a three-member team will be constituted to inspect all airports to identify the gaps.

It will include officials from the ministries of Health, Civil Aviation and Immigration. The three-member committee will submit its report within a week.

Nadda re-emphasized on the importance of alertness, intensive training and capacity building of all stakeholders to be better equipped to address Ebola and directed for sensitisation of all stakeholders involved with the passenger screening.

He pointed out that the surveillance at seaports also needs to be strengthened along with the airports.

The Health Minister has called for a detailed report on the working of surveillance facility at the ports.

On the hospital response, he asked the concerned division to develop short-term and long-term strategies for medical management of Ebola Virus disease.

An Indian national, who was travelling from Liberia and had successfully undergone treatment related to the Ebola Virus disease, has been quarantined at the Indira Gandhi International Airport on Tuesday.

The 26-year-old was carrying a medical certificate from the Liberian Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, which started that he had been declared free of any clinical signs and symptoms of the disease.

However, he has been isolated at the Airport Health Organization's Quarantine Centre as a matter of precaution.

Nadda has directed the Health Ministry officials to constitute teams of experts, who will visit the states and report on the preparedness of their designated hospitals. He has and asked them to work together towards capacity building of the states. He stated that training of the doctors and the para-medical staff needs to be a continuous exercise.