The Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) has called for the establishment of a Presidential Task Force to combat the dengue epidemic in the country.

GMOA Media Spokesperson, Dr. Chamil Wijesinghe emphasized that the situation has escalated into a super epidemic proportions.

Commenting further, he said: “We saw a severe dengue epidemic in the year 2017. Dengue patients are now being reported at a similar level.”

He said that notably, the number of patients reported so far this month has already surpassed the total number of cases recorded island-wide within the month of May. 

“In May, 8,600 patients were reported. However, in June, more than 9,000 cases have been reported within the first two weeks alone. This in itself highlights the danger inherent in this situation.” 

He stated that compared to the same period last year, the number of weekly dengue cases reported within the Colombo District has increased by 200% while more than 50% of the reported dengue patients are from the Western Province.

“The most serious issue in this is that although the number of dengue patients has not yet reached its maximum level, the health system is reaching its maximum capacity. There are a number of problems with the staff and medicines,” he stressed.

“This needs to be viewed as a national emergency. If this situation escalates any further, the healthcare system will not be able to withstand it. Therefore, instead of implementing isolated dengue prevention projects in various places, we believe that all parties should be brought together to establish a national-level committee or a Presidential Task Force. A targeted, national-level action plan must be declared, and that plan needs to be executed right down to the grassroots level.”