With 450 cases of dengue being reported across the city, Delhi Health Minister A.K. Walia on Monday directed all the government and private hospitals having platelet separator machines and blood banks to ensure that their equipment was in perfect working condition and able to produce platelets and allied produce round-the-clock.
Chairing a review meeting on the “dengue situation’’, the Minister said extra manpower, if required, should also be deployed to ensure continuous production and supply of platelets for the dengue patients.
“No patient should be denied supply of platelets or should face any problem with regard to its timely availability.’’
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The Minister said there are 53 blood banks in Delhi of which 14 belong to the Government while 39 are private. All of them have been instructed to stay in perfect working order.
Dr. Walia said there were also 33 designated hospitals of the Centre and Delhi Government which work as ‘Sentinel Surveillance Centre’ for dengue and other vector borne diseases. With addition of eight more such centres, he said the number would go up to 41.
Dr. Walia said as per the report made available by the three Delhi Municipal Corporations there have been 450 cases of dengue.
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The Delhi Government, he said, will soon publish information about the diagnostic and treatment facilities in Delhi so that the facilities available there could be accessed by more and more patients and their caregivers.
Dr. Walia advised the hospitals and nursing homes to co-ordinate and assist attendants in obtaining platelets. “The blood banks in the governments hospitals should supply platelets not only to their indoor patients but to patients from private hospitals and nursing homes also as per their requirement,’’ he said.
The Health Minister said to facilitate diagnostic, treatment and blood collection facilities in cases of dengue patients, the Delhi Government has also decided to upgrade eight hospitals across the city where these additional facilities will now be made available.
Dr. Walia directed the health officials of the Delhi Government and local bodies to create public awareness with regard to prevention and control of dengue.
He also directed the officials of Irrigation and Flood Control Department to carry out anti-malaria measures and remove hyacinth from water bodies on regular basis.
With the most vector-borne disease prone areas being identified as Sonia Camp, Jhilmil Industrial Area; New Ashok Nagar, Block A&D; Rajiv Camp, Jhilmil Industrial Area in East DMC; Jonti Village; Old Radio Colony, Dhirpur; Dhaka Village in North DMC; Railway Colony, T.K.D.; Tuglakabad Village; and Matiyala, Najafgarh in South DMC, the Minister said directions have been issued that anti-mosquito breeding measures should specifically focus on areas near railway lines, jhuggi jhonpri clusters and pockets where construction is going on.