With 119 cases of dengue being reported from the Capital this season, the Health Department has allowed all hospitals and nursing homes, including private, to increase their bed strength by up to 10 to 20 per cent for a period of three months as part of the preparation to effectively deal with dengue cases.
Hospitals and nursing homes will get this permission on the condition that these beds will be used only for admitting fever and dengue patients.
The order further states that no hospital and nursing home will deny treatment or admission to any patient suffering from dengue.
A dedicated dengue control cell is already functioning at the Directorate General of Health Services.
To keep dengue treatment affordable, the government has put a ceiling price on NSI Ag (Elisa based) and Elisa MAC tests at Rs. 600 and for platelet count at Rs. 50. Any private hospital or lab which charges more than the fixed price for dengue testing and platelet count will face action.
As many as 91 cases were recorded last month alone, with May recording six cases and June witnessing 15, according to the reports released by municipal authorities.
“Twenty-nine fresh cases have been reported since the last count and the total number of cases so far in the city is at least 119,’’ a senior civic official said.
Last year, the city saw a staggering 15,867 dengue cases, the worst in 20 years with the disease claiming 60 lives, as per municipal reports.
Also the mohalla clinics set up by the government have been prepared to deal with dengue cases.
“The government aims to increase the number of dedicated fever clinics from 55 last year to 355 this year.
‘Fever corners’
All hospitals have been advised to have “fever corners”, which will function 24x7.
The medical and paramedical staff at these clinics have been sensitised about prevention and treatment of dengue,” said a senior health official.
The government has also decided to restrict the sale of drugs like Aspirin, Ibuprofen and Diclofenac, which cause destruction of platelets in human blood. These will now be sold strictly against prescription by a registered medical practitioner.
The Delhi government also held a series of workshops at the Delhi Secretariat to sensitise doctors about dengue.
The municipal corporations on their part have issued challans to number of key offices, metro projects, colleges, schools, hospitals, establishments and DDA offices for not checking mosquito breeding in their premises.
