Punjab Health Minister Dr. Balbir Singh and Agriculture Minister S. Gurmeet Singh Khuddian today held a meeting with officials at the District Administrative Complex, Fazilka, to review flood relief and management arrangements in the district. Both ministers emphasized that under the leadership of Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann, the Punjab Government is committed not only to providing immediate relief to flood-affected people but also to ensuring a permanent solution to this recurring problem.
Health Minister Dr. Balbir Singh informed that the Health Department has deployed 323 mobile medical teams, 450 Rapid Response Teams, and 170 ambulance services across the flood-affected areas in the state. Special wards have been set up in hospitals, and arrangements have been made to ensure safe deliveries for pregnant women. He assured that there is no shortage of medicines or doctors, and new recruitments are also being carried out.
Providing details about Fazilka district, Dr. Balbir Singh said that 8 villages have been affected, where 8 medical teams and 3 ambulances are deployed. Isolation wards with 10 beds at Fazilka Civil Hospital and 5 beds at Abohar Hospital have been established. Chlorine tablets have been distributed, and water samples collected to ensure safe drinking water for the 10,700 residents of these villages.
He added that 45 pregnant women have been identified to provide timely medical care, while 856 people have already been given medicines. No cases of diarrhoea or dengue have been reported so far in flood affected area. Agriculture Minister S. Gurmeet Singh Khuddian stated that along with fodder, cattle feed is also being supplied to the affected villages.
Around 6,700 cattle are present in these villages, and the Veterinary Department has been directed to provide full medical support. The Health Minister further directed that although two dengue cases have been reported in the district earlier, the Health Department must conduct door-to-door larval surveys to prevent further spread. Departments were asked to work strictly as per issued guidelines to control water and vector-borne diseases.
MLA Narinder Pal Singh Sawna and MLA Jagdeep Kamboj Goldy shared ground reports from the border villages, while former MLA Arun Narang raised the issue of damage to orchards due to recent rains and demanded compensation for orchardists as well. Deputy Commissioner Amarpreet Kaur Sandhu, SSP Gurmeet Singh, ADC (General) Dr. Mandeep Kaur, ADC (Development) Subhash Chander, SDM Virpal Kaur, Civil Surgeon Dr. Raj Kumar, DMC Dr. Eric, and Chief Agriculture Officer Rajinder Kamboj were also present in the meeting.
Later, the Health Minister visited Fazilka Civil Hospital to inspect health facilities, particularly the special wards set up for flood-affected patients and the dengue ward.