Nagpur.
“Maharashtra Government is planning to implement ‘Heat Action Plan’ in all the big cities of the State and in this context, all the departments should coordinate with each other so that the plan comes into force from December this year. The departments such as Met Department, Police Department, Traffic Police, construction organizations, architects, voluntary organizations working on environment, private and government medical officers should coordinate with other for implementation of Heat Action Plan,” said Principal Secretary of Public Health Department Sujata Soumik at the concluding day of the two-day workshop on ‘Heat Action Plan’ organized jointly by NMC and Public Health Department at Hotel Tuli Implerial, Ramdaspeth.
Soumik further said that after Ahmedbad, the Heat Action Plan is being implemented for the first time in Nagpur. This workshop will push the plan ahead. As a first precaution from heat stroke the Maternity Wards and Newly Born Children’s Wards should not be at the top floors of any maternity hospital, said the Principal Secretary of Public Health Department.
Other dignitaries seated on the dais include Municipal Commissioner Shravan Hardikar, Deputy Commissioner Sanjay Kakde, NMC Deputy Director (Health) Dr Milind Ganvir, Divisional Health Deputy Director Dr Sanjay Jaiswal, Director of National Public Health Institute, Gandhinagar (Gujarat) Dr Dilip Mavlankar, Principal of Public Health Institute Dr Padmaja Jogewar, Dr Mujaffar Hussain (Delhi), Dr P S Ganguly and others.
Municipal Commissioner Hardikar said that the Heat Action Plan being prepared in Nagpur should reach rural areas of the district. “In the year 2013, the first Heat Action Plan was prepared in Ahmedabad, the first in entire Asia Continent. Now, the second Heat Action Plan is being prepared in Nagpur. Hence the workshop assumes greater significance,” said Hardikar.
On the occasion, a team of experts including Dr Mavlankar, Dr Jayraj Desai, Dr Tejas Shah, Dr P S Ganguly, Dr Umeya Tiwari, Dr Ajit Rajiva, Dr Priyadutta (Ahmedbad) guided the workshop through presentation on Heat Action Plan. The Member of National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) Dr Mujaffar Ahmed stressed on awareness on Heat Action Plan and training to citizens. The Heat Action Plan should properly planned with the cooperation of all concerned departments, he said.
The concluding day programme was conducted by NMC’s Medical Officer Dr Bhavna Sonkusre, and Dr Sajiya.
