1,000 extra beds at govt hospitals for dengue, chikungunya patients

Amid blamegame over unprecedented rise in cases of vector-borne diseases, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Friday requested the Centre to allot 10 per cent beds in government hospitals to accommodate more patients suffering from dengue and chikungunya besides setting up 24-hour fever centres to address the grievances of those who visit from far away places. 

The three Municipal Corporations of Delhi (MCDs) also claimed to take stock of the situation by announcing additional measures.  Meanwhile, the vector-borne diseases continued to be menacing with the number of death tolls touching 33 including two deaths of malaria and the number of affected persons reportedly crossing 2,800.  

“All government hospitals in the city including AIIMS, Safdarjung and Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) have almost 10,000 beds. I have requested that in all government hospitals, 10 per cent of beds should be reserved for fever, chikungunya and dengue patients and they have accepted the same. In Delhi, the Central government has a lot of capacity and if they give 10 per cent beds also then the total increase would be more than 1,000 beds,” said the Delhi minister after a meeting with Union Minister of Health J P Nadda.  

“I have also requested Union Health Minister J P Nadda and the Centre to convene a meeting of the health ministers of neighbouring states to prepare a strategy to deal with dengue and chikungunya outbreak as many of the patients are coming to the Capital due to lack of proper healthcare facilities in their respective areas. The Centre should open clinics at local levels so as to save time of the patients, who come from far away places just for check-ups,” he added.  

The three MCDs, after failing to avert the crisis that resulted in a sudden spurt in positive cases of vector-borne diseases, announced to start special sanitation drives in all wards immediately and to install dustbins in various nook and corner also. 

The Corporations also instructed their Education Departments to ensure protection of schoolchildren studying in primary schools from chikungunya, dengue and malaria. 

SDMC Commissioner P K Goel stated that it is essential to protect schoolchildren from vector-borne diseases as they suffer more once bitten by mosquitoes. “It becomes our priority to take all precautionary steps to prevent them from the dangerous mosquitoes. The affected children take more time in recovery, hence are forced to remain out of school for many days,” the Commissioner said.  

Meanwhile, the deadly disease continued to claim lives in and around the Capital as more deaths were reported from city hospitals on Friday. 

A 75-year-old man from South Delhi died due to chikungunya complications at a city hospital and another was reported to die in the evening on Friday, taking the number of fatalities to 13 due to the disease. The number of deaths due to dengue rose to 18 with half of the fatalities being reported from AIIMS even as the number of cases of this vector-borne disease crossed 1,100.