Kerala to strengthen disaster management system

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala will strengthen its disaster management system to tackle crisis arising from natural calamities and outbreak of epidemics, taking the cue from havoc wrought by cloudburst in Uttarakhand.

Health Minister V S Shivakumar said here today that the government was working out plans in this regard in view of the Uttarakhand calamity which claimed thousands of lives in cloudburst and the following flood.

"We are taking steps to strengthen the disaster management system. Doctors and paramedical staff will be given special training to tackle unexpected calamities and outbreak of epidemics," he said at a function organised to congratulate a medical team from Kerala sent to Uttarakhand as part of emergency response initiatives.

The government, in co-operation with National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), had sent a 10-member team comprising doctors, nurses, health inspectors and other paramedical staff, to the calamity-stricken state last month.

Showering praise on the services rendered by the team, the minister said its members would be given good service entry in appreciation of the help they lent to the affected people.

"They managed to reach the flood-hit area with great difficulty and rendered services in Haridwar and Uttara Kashi and surrounding areas. They also conducted medical camps in six flood-hit villages. They did all these risking their own lives," he added.

The team was led by Dr S Sajith, Associate Professor, Alappuzha Medical College.