Mangaluru : Minister for Health and Family Welfare U T Khader has said that all expired medicines will be disposed of scientifically in the next six months.

The rule applies to medicines stored in the district warehouses and drugs and logistics warehouses in Karnataka, and the medicines will be disposed of in the presence of Karnataka State Pollution Control Board officials, said the minister.

Briefing mediapersons here on Monday, he said that Karnataka has introduced a policy for the disposal of expired medicines recently. “The expired medicines were not disposed of from 2000 to 2013. As a result, there is a stock of expired medicines worth Rs 10 crore in the state. Tenders will be invited for the scientific disposal of expired medicines.

About Rs 1 crore would be required for the scientific disposal of expired medicines, which will be borne by the Health Department,” Khader said, adding, “Before the year 2000, the expired medicines were dumped into a pit and covered with soil. The drugs and logistics will be computerised to know the amount of medicines that has been dispatched to the district warehouses and PHCs.”

The minister also called upon the public not to panic over communicable diseases like malaria, dengue and chikungunya.

“With a rise in the number of dengue and chikungunya cases, the Health and Family Welfare Department has appointed nodal officers for all districts to prevent mosquito-borne diseases and ensure timely treatment to patients in hospitals. The Department has directed all hospitals in the private sector to report cases to dengue to the department on daily basis,” he added.

The minister said that three mobile units with facilities for testing and spraying, and a staff member will be given to each district, to contain the spread of mosquito-borne diseases. Out of the 64 PHCs in Dakshina Kannada, there is shortage of doctors in nine PHCs. Private medical colleges have come forward to overcome the shortage, he informed.

He said that the patients should not be sent back if there was no doctor in a PHC. “The staff in the PHC should dial 108 and send the patient to the taluk hospital in the ambulance and ensure that the patient gets treatment,” Khader instructed.

“A Swachata Saptaha – cleanliness week – will be taken up from June 15 to 21 to create awareness among the people about maintenance of cleanliness in public places, schools and colleges, government hospitals and public buildings. The health assistants will visit houses to create awareness among people on mosquito-borne diseases. The assistants will collect the phone numbers and addresses of the houses, to counter-check the visits by the officials. A dengue death audit committee too has been constituted in the district with the district surgeon, the district health officer and a doctor as its members. The committee will verify the cause of death, which will be sent to the State-level committee,” explained Khader.

Earlier, in a meeting of the private medical colleges and Department of Health and Family Welfare, a few doctors expressed concern over a few private hospitals charging exorbitant fee for the Elisa test to confirm dengue.

The minister, however, insisted that Rs 500 has been fixed for the Elisa test. “The public can complain to the DHO if the hospitals charge exorbitant fee for the tests,” he assured.

District Vector Borne Diseases Control Officer Dr Arun said that there has been 45 per cent reduction in malaria cases compared to the number of cases in the month of May last year. From January to May, there has been decline in malaria cases by nine per cent, the doctor said.