‘A simple act of washing hands can keep diseases away’

Dr Rajesh Kumar Bagga joined as the new Civil Surgeon of Ludhiana on Monday after his predecessor Dr Parwinder Pal Singh Sidhu was demoted as SMO. After joining, he took the meeting of all Senior Medical Officers (SMOs). In an interview with Manav Mander, the Civil Surgeon spoke about his plans for the city and all measures he plans to take to keep the city free from diseases. Here are the excerpts:

What will be your priorities for Ludhiana when it comes to health and medical care?

Since the summer season is on, my priority will be to keep the city residents protected from vector-borne and water-borne diseases by spreading awareness and taking timely action in case of an outbreak. In addition to this, I want that all national schemes are duly implemented in the city’s health sector and stress will be laid on the implementation of ‘Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram’ (JSSK). This programme provides cashless service to pregnant women, including normal deliveries and caesarean operations, and the sick newborns up to 30 days of birth in government health institutions. 

During summer season, gastro cases see a spurt in the city every year. How do you plan to handle these?

If cases are coming at random then there is nothing to worry, but if cases are coming in cluster from a specific area, then it is worrisome. Outbreaks will be dealt with utmost care and the teams will visit high-risk areas and distribute pamphlets and make people aware. I want to convey it to the people of Ludhiana that one method through which you can remain away from diseases is through simple act of ‘hand-washing’ if done properly. Secondly, drink safe drinking water and thirdly eat food that is properly cooked and covered.

Civil Hospital caters to the entire district, but it encounters various problems/ issues, any special plan to tackle them?

The responsibility of the Civil Hospital is of Senior Medical Officer (SMO) and she should ensure that everything is in order and in case there is some major issue, we can always discuss. In addition to this, I will be reviewing the Civil 

Hospital every month to see that all is in order.

Since you are a paediatrician, do you have any special plan in this area?

In paediatric care, I want to focus on preventive measures and promote immunisation and want to achieve 100 per cent target of national immunisation programme. Programmes to promote breast feeding, focusing on complementary and supplementary foods for infants and proper spacing between kids will be targeted.