Odisha has activated state and district health control rooms and cancelled official leave in vulnerable districts as the state prepares for a possible cyclone and reports a prevailing flood situation. The measures are intended to keep medical services running, protect people in relief centres and limit the risk of disease outbreaks during the emergency response.
The health department reviewed preparedness at a meeting at Kharabela Bhavan, where Principal Secretary-cum-Commissioner Aswathy S instructed district authorities to remain on high alert. Senior officials and chief district medical and public health officers joined the review virtually.
Officials have been directed to maintain adequate stocks of essential medicines, medical supplies, halogen tablets and bleaching powder. The supplies are intended to support treatment, water safety and sanitation measures in areas affected by flooding or cyclone-related disruption.
Rapid Response Teams and Mobile Health Units have also been asked to remain ready for deployment, particularly in remote areas where access to hospitals and regular health facilities could be interrupted. The department has directed authorities to ensure uninterrupted healthcare services while coordinating emergency operations across vulnerable districts.
Disease surveillance is being intensified for diarrhoea, cholera, malaria, dengue and other water- and vector-borne illnesses. District officials have been instructed to arrange prompt treatment wherever cases are identified, reflecting the health risks that can follow flooding, stagnant water, unsafe drinking water and crowded temporary shelters.
Relief centres have been identified as a specific area of focus. Authorities have been asked to ensure safe drinking water, sanitation and basic medical care at these locations. The department also instructed officials to give particular attention to pregnant women, children and elderly people, who may face greater difficulty accessing care during evacuation or displacement.
During the review, district health officials briefed the department on the prevailing flood situation and the measures being taken to maintain public health services. The instructions require close coordination with other departments as the state responds to the weather alert and manages the operational demands created by possible flooding.
The department said it is fully prepared to address health-related challenges arising from the situation. State and district control rooms will continue monitoring developments, while Rapid Response Teams, Mobile Health Units, medical supplies and disease surveillance systems remain on standby.
