Health camps in Pune city called off amid rising disease outbreak

In the last week of August, the government directed charitable hospitals, those enrolled in the Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Jan Arogya Yojana (MPJAY) and Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY), as well as medical colleges affiliated with the Maharashtra University of Health Sciences, to organize free community health camps. These institutions were instructed to hold health camps in slums and rural areas for a duration of two months. According to the orders, healthcare facilities with over 100 beds were required to conduct 40 camps, those with 50 to 100 beds were to hold 30 camps, and facilities with fewer than 50 beds were to organize 20 camps.

Dr. Sanjay Patil, chairman of the Hospital Board of India’s Pune Chapter, commented that general practitioners in the city are encountering many cases of chikungunya and dengue. He stated that serious cases are being referred to private hospitals, but these facilities are also at full capacity, leading to a bed shortage. This makes it challenging to conduct a large number of health camps. Additionally, Dr. Patil pointed out that many hospital staff members have also contracted the illness, further exacerbating the shortage of both beds and personnel.