Malappuram : Health Minister Veena George visits survivors of Tanur boat accident. The Health Dept will provide mental and emotional support to ease trauma of the survivors and bereaved families of the Tanur boat tragedy the minister told reporters, adding that, measures toward this shall be undertaken via health centres.
The trauma and impact the accident causes to young minds can be devastating. Services of child counselors shall be provided to children to free them from fear and distress. A special team helmed by the District Health dept shall be appointed to render counseling and psychological support, said minister, speaking with media, after visiting victims undergoing treatment at hospitals.
The minister convened a meeting during the day at Tanur, where the doctors informed that survivors were steadily overcoming danger and responding well to treatment. The landscape having been marshy, all those who participated in rescues must take Doxycycline and tablets to prevent Weil’s disease , the minister said.
Last night, soon after news of the tragedy broke, Minister Veena George chaired an emergency meeting and directed ensuring of expert treatment and speeding up procedures for post-mortem to enable early release of bodies. Additional Director of the Health Department was appointed to coordinate efforts in this direction. Doctors were drawn from neighbouring districts of Kozhikode and Thrissur. Postmortems were conducted at hospitals in Trur, Tirurangad, Perinthalmanna and Malappuram, and at Mancheri Medical College.
Heading for Tanur at night, autopsies began to be performed from early dawn hours. All postmortems were completed by 9 am. Coordination of activities by the Health department went a long way to accomplish this, the minister said.
