LAHORE: The Punjab government has issued instructions to suspend from service the chief executive officer (CEO) and District Health Officer ( DHO) Dr Fazalur Rehman and another official following the death of children due to measles.

There were reports that 10 children died of measles in Khanewal and Kasur and the government launched investigations to bring facts to public.

According to the reports, five kids each died in Kabeerwala of Khanewal and Pattoki, Kasur.

The health authorities dispatched separate teams of senior medical teachers and public health officers to the two districts for investigation into the measles deaths.

Sources said the health authorities have been concealing the measles outbreak in Punjab and focusing merely on development projects to please the chief minister.

They said the projects of upgrade and renovation of several hospitals in Punjab were going on and the health secretary and the minister were paying frequent visits to oversee the schemes.

The official sources said the reports of outbreak of the measles started surfacing some weeks back but no one from both bothered as they had prioritised the development projects to meet the deadlines given by the CM.

Meanwhile, they said, deaths of some children occurred and as the matter came to the spotlight, the health minister and the secretary shifted focus towards the measles emergency.

The suspension of the health officers was made to just divert attention of the government, the sources said adding that it was open and shut case of negligence of the two top health officers.

Published in Dawn, May 29th, 2024