Chennai: Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami conducted a review meeting to increase awareness and to take control measures for dengue across the state.
The meeting, held at the secretariat on Thursday, was attended by health minister C. Vijayabaskar and ministers D. Jayakumar, SP Velumani, Thangamani and KA Sengottiyan. Health secretary Radhakrishnan and other higher officials discussed measures to curb dengue and swine flu in the state while creating awareness among people.
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu doubled the number of laboratory assistants by appointing 687 trained staff in primary health centres across the state on Thursday, said C. Vijayabaskar.
“There was a huge vacancy in the appointment of lab assistants due to a series of court cases. With this recruitment, we have now doubled our strength. We will soon be recruiting at least 200 more technicians. This would mean that there is at least one lab technician in every primary health centre,”said C. Vijayabaskar at an event held for their appointment on Thursday.
The director of public health, Dr K Kolandaswamy, said that this would help in fighting against fevers such as dengue, and swine flu. “They will be able to take blood tests and send them to nearby labs if they don’t have the testing facility, facilitating the process, and helping in early diagnosis,”he said.
