GIS mapping for Covid-19 control

The GMOA has quite rightly given an ultimatum to the Ministry of Health that it will withdraw from the Technical Committee for Covid-19 control, if Geographical Information System (GIS) maps of Covid-19 patient-locations will not be made available. Being an organization, which has many knowledgeable specialists in the area of epidemiology, I believe they have understood the valuable inputs such maps can give to the control teams to prevent escalation of this epidemic. The maps are also valuable tools to inform the general public of the locations of the patients so that they can avoid such areas. I think the Presidential Task Force also should be shown these maps if they have not done it yet.

Twenty years ago, realizing the value of GIS maps, I used them for dengue control in Colombo and it provided great information to plan and implement control measures. We could see clusters of patients and the gradual movement of the cluster into newer areas with time. My maps were used at least at Peradeniya University to train Medical Officers in Health mapping. There are some experts in GIS mapping in the Ministry of Health now, and they could be used to map the patient locations and also put in other information. The Public Health Department of CMC gave GPS training to Public Health Inspectors those days to send in the information from the location to the GIS centre at the Town Hall, where all the information was collated. We then prepared the maps and sent them out to the MOHs and also discussed the situation at meetings. I hope they have continued that work and if so, they also should put out maps of present patient locations, so that the people in Colombo will also know which areas in the city they should avoid. Colombo city will possibly be the next centre of transmission Covid-19 in the country.

Technology should be used in disease prevention as much as possible, but unfortunately the analyzed information is hardly available to the people who make decisions and those in the field. This attitude has been in the health sector for decades. I hope that the authorities will seriously take note of this, as this is public information that can be used for the greater good of our people, and not to be put away in storage as someone’s private property.

Dr. PRADEEP KARIYAWASAM

Former CMOH/CMC