Ggn health dept gears up to fight vector-borne diseases

Dengue made a fearful comeback in the Millennium City last week, after four suspected cases of vector-borne disease were reported from a private hospital.

While the city health department have not confirmed the development, officials have begun implementing measures to prevent any outbreak of vector-borne diseases, such as dengue and chikungunya in Gurugram.

To begin with, the health department has again directed the private clinics to cap the prices of ELISA tests at Rs 600.

There have been numerous complaints from citizens that have been levelled against private healthcare organisation for overcharging patients.

Shortage of resources and high demand has resulted in private institutions charging patients to the tune of Rs 1,000 - Rs 1,500 per test.

In 2016, the civic authorities had taken a punitive action against some private institutions, after it was found through a sting operation, that there many such institutions were charging exorbitant sums from patients.

Further, for serious cases of patients requiring blood platelets, the department is planning to set the price for platelet transfers at Rs 11,500 at its public hospitals.

While a large number of cases of dengue and chikungunya were reported from the Delhi last year, Gurugram too had several citizens affected by vector-borne diseases.

Lack of infrastructure at public institutions and high cost of treatment at private hospitals have often resulted in various patients from Gurugram frequenting Delhi for treatment.

"Vector-borne diseases are a major health challenge. With a large number of patients, there are times when the public healthcare system does not have adequate resources for effective treatment. In such cases, the private healthcare system should shoulder the responsibility and aid in effective treatment, especially when there is an outbreak," said Kanta Goel, Principal Medical Officer, Civil Hospital.

"Most officials have begun holding camps for early awareness of vector borne diseases," added Goyal.