KMC decides to show-cause diagnostic centre in Picnic Garden dengue death case

kolkata: Following the death of a minor girl in the city due to dengue, Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has decided to show-cause the private diagnostic centre which conducted blood tests on her and allegedly refused to share the data with the civic body.

Pallabi Dey, a 9-year-old girl died of dengue at the Institute of Child Health. It is learnt she was a student of the sixth standard. She was admitted to the hospital with fever, and dengue tests showed positive results. It is learnt she breathed her last on Saturday. Her death certificate reportedly mentioned dengue and multiple organ failure as the cause of death. The girl was a resident of Picnic Garden.

Speaking on the matter, Atin Ghosh, member mayor-in-council, health department, said the death was unfortunate and alleged that one of the primary reasons which contributed to it was delay in getting proper treatment.

He said the private diagnostic centre which conducted the blood test will be show-caused since they allegedly refused to share the data with the civic body once it was confirmed that she contracted dengue. Ghosh said that KMC personnel went to collect it but was allegedly refused by the centre. Further, he said that initially when the girl had developed dengue symptoms such as fever, body ache and nausea, she was allegedly taken to a quack doctor. When her condition deteriorated, she was finally taken to a child specialist who prescribed her antibiotics. Finally, she had to be admitted to a hospital when her condition deteriorated.

“In such cases, antibiotics are never prescribed. We are trying to get hold of the copy of the prescription. Her father also regretted that there was a delay in getting the blood test and the overall treatment done,” Ghosh said. Ghosh highlighted that she was the first such dengue case reported from the Picnic Garden area this year while sharing that this year, to date, the number of cases in Kolkata is 200.