Health Minister Dr. Rajitha Senaratne has appointed Dr. Ajith Mendis, a former Director General of Health Services to manage dengue, Health Ministry sources said.
According to the sources, this arrangement will be in place until the dengue epidemic in the country recedes.
National Hospital Director Dr. Anil Jasinghe has arranged two wards in the hospital especially for dengue patients. Ten Public Health Inspectors (PHIs) have been assigned to process data on dengue patients and deaths. They will produce daily reports, the sources said.
The High Dependency Unit set up by the Army at the Negombo hospital will commence operations in three days. The Health Ministry will provide 30 nurses, doctors and monitoring machines for the unit, the sources said.
The health authorities detected 15 dengue mosquito breeding places in the Moratuwa University premises following the death of a student. The university had three PHIs, but they had not carried out fumigating even after detecting the first dengue patient from the university, the sources said.