Ahigh-level three-member team from the Union Health Ministry is stationed in Dehradun to assess the public health situation and coordinate with the State Health Authorities to provide whatever assistance is needed.
It comprises of the Director, Emergency Medical Response, Director, National Centre for Disease Control and Joint Director, National Vector Borne Diseases Control Programme (NVBDCP). The team found no outbreak of waterborne, foodborne, airborne or direct contact diseases in the disaster affected areas.
The Director General Health Services and Additional Secretary (Health) have visited Dehradun and have had extensive interactions with senior State Government functionaries to review the health situation.
Three Central Public Health Teams have been posted to Uttarakhand and are deployed in the affected areas of Chamoli, Joshimath. Two-member public health teams from Delhi have reached Dehradun and placed at the service of the State health authorities. Additionally, 40 chloroscopes and a large quantity of reagents, sufficient to test upto 5,000 water samples have been sent, to ensure safe drinking water supplies. More chloroscopes are being procured for delivery. Another three member team from NIMHANS, Bangalore for psycho-social support are on route to join the first team already deployed in the affected areas.
The first team is continuing its field visits and surveys. A similar psycho-social team from IHBAS, Delhi has been constituted to move to the state, and further teams are being readied for deployment.
The first batch of 23, out of a total of 30 doctors mobilised from CGHS Delhi reached Dehradun and another team of doctors will also reach to Uttarakhand. In order to provide medical assistance, three truckloads of medicines from Central Hospitals have been dispatched and received by the State Health Authorities for onward distribution and 10 lakh chlorine tablets have been purchased for distribution to the affected areas of the State as per their request and are being dispatched to affected areas.