Coimbatore: Health Minister K.G. Arunraj on Saturday said dengue cases in Coimbatore have declined compared to last year, while the Health Department has intensified preventive measures through continuous inspections and mosquito-control activities.
The minister was speaking to the press after attending a review meeting on dengue prevention and issues concerning hill areas at the Coimbatore District Collectorate. The meeting was held in the presence of the District Collector and Health Department officials, with Backward Classes Welfare Minister Sampathkumar also participating.
Minister Arunraj said dengue cases in the district were around 450 last year and that the number has been declining this year. He said inspections had been carried out continuously over the past week and preventive measures had been further intensified. He added that no deaths due to dengue had been reported in Coimbatore.
Urging residents to remain vigilant, the minister said people should check for water stagnation in and around their homes and regularly inspect areas such as money plant containers and refrigerators to ensure that mosquito larvae do not breed there.
He also appealed to the public to cooperate fully with Health Department personnel visiting homes as part of mosquito-control and preventive measures. The minister warned that action, including fines of up to ₹10,000, would continue to be taken against those found maintaining unhygienic surroundings that facilitate mosquito breeding.
The minister also announced several health infrastructure initiatives for Coimbatore. Under the Chief Minister’s cancer treatment initiative, the State is set to establish one State-level centre and five regional cancer treatment centres, with Coimbatore among the locations identified for a regional centre.
He said a nursing college, a long-pending demand in Coimbatore, would also be established. A modern treatment centre for heart patients has been set up at the Coimbatore Government Hospital at a cost of ₹4.5 crore, he added.
According to the minister, projects and schemes worth ₹1,111 crore have been sanctioned for Coimbatore’s medical sector, and the remaining demands of the district would be addressed in a phased manner.
He further said 7,704 nurses would be recruited across Tamil Nadu to address the shortage of nursing staff. The recruitment process would be carried out transparently based on prescribed qualifications, including marks and certificates, and the nurses would be posted where required. He added that steps would also be taken to address the shortage of doctors in emergency treatment departments.
