HYDERABAD: The GHMC has just one auxiliary nurse midwife (ANM) per 50,000 population, as against the requirement of one per 5,000. Despite having this meagre staff strength, the corporation has claimed that has identified over 2.19 lakh residents with fever after covering 9.98 lakh households during the door-to-door fever survey.
The civic body has not been forthcoming with data on the number of medical kits distributed in the city to those with fever symptoms, and medicines provided to the patients after the fifth day of fever. The officials were reluctant to share the data claiming that they might land in trouble.
According to highly placed sources, Hyderabad district has 47 ANMs working under the human resource development (HRD) section, 205 working under the National Urban Health Mission (NUHM), 40 appointed under the European Commission during 2005 (EU) and 197 working in basti dawakhanas. Medchal-Malkajgiri district has 273 ANMs in these four categories, and Ranga Reddy district about 400.
In the GHMC limits, 1,162 ANMs have been performing the door-to-door fever survey, testing and Covid-19 vaccination along with Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) workers and staff from the entomology wing of the GHMC.
The GHMC, in its official releases, said it had constituted 1,600 teams only for the fever survey. Each team comprised an ASHA worker, ANMs and staff from the entomology wing, it said.
A senior official requesting anonymity said the corporation had been “manipulating” the figures of door-to-door surveys, Covid-19 vaccination and testing. He said with the existing staff, it was impossible to conduct surveys and perform other duties.
The official said instructions were given not to reveal accurate data about the number of persons identified with the Covid-19 symptoms during the survey, until the government identified ample space to accommodate symptomatic people in state-run community halls and basti dawakhanas.
Apart from identifying space for symptomatic patients, officials were also calculating the number of Covid-19 kits distributed, steroids provided and the number of people referred to hospitals. Till the process was completed, they would not reveal data.
The GHMC official further said that despite rigorous efforts, there was a massive rise in the mosquito menace in the city. This had made things even more complicated in areas adjoining major water bodies and along the Musi River, he said.
He said the corporation was waiting for the decision of the government to enhance manpower to fight Covid-19, provide vaccination and to deal with vector-borne diseases. The official said the government would release its plan of action in a couple of days after holding meetings with experts.
"I request people to be brave and stay at home since the situation would become worse in the next couple of weeks with Covid-19, dengue, malaria and other vector-borne diseases due to recent rainfall,” the official said.
