Firozabad (UP): As Firozabad district in Uttar Pradesh continues to battle dengue and viral fever outbreak, the state government on Friday suspended health officer of the municipal corporation here and sealed clinics of unauthorised medical practitioners.
According to government records, 57 people, mostly children, have so far died due to the diseases, while 404 people are still undergoing treatment in the medical college hospital here.
As many as 120 new patients were admitted on Friday while 102 people were discharged after recovery, medical college principal Sangeeta Aneja said, adding that of the 195 tests done for dengue, 62 have been found positive.
Taking a strong view of the prevailing situation, the administration suspended Nagar Swasthya Adhikari Mukesh Kumar with immediate effect for abstaining from duty without any prior information.
Since September 3, Kumar has been abstaining from duty without any information and also during the recent visit of Additional Chief Secretary (Medical and Education) Alok Kumar, he was not there, Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dinesh Kumar Premi said.
The Director of Medical and Health Services, Ravinder Singh was asked to investigate the matter and on the basis of the report submitted on Thursday, Kumar has been suspended with immediate effect, he said.
With a view to ensure that all patients get proper medical treatment, District Magistrate Chandra Vijay Singh and City Magistrate Gulshan Kumar visited Humayunpur, Suhag Nagar and other localities of the city and requested the people not to get treatment from unauthorised doctors.
The clinics of eight quacks were sealed by the city magistrate, a spokesman said.
According to Aneja, the number of patients has come down following concerted efforts of the administration and the government and it is visible in the flow of patients in the medical college hospital.
On the directives of the government, S N Singh of KGMU, Lucknow has been camping in Firozabad since the past five days to ascertain the type of fever among the patients.
Talking to media, Singh said in the investigation so far, it has been found that the outbreak of viral fever and dengue was due to the abundance of mosquitoes in the region.
The investigation is going on and only after reaching some conclusion, I will be able to say more, he said, adding that he will submit his report to the government.