Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain on Sunday stressed the need for taking immediate steps to arrest the spread of dengue in the city and asked the officials of his department to prioritize dengue cases.
At a meeting with health secretary, divisional commissioner and directors of local bodies, he directed the officials to buy 1,000 new beds to accommodate dengue patients in hospitals.
“In the view of a rise in dengue cases, I have ordered to buy 1,000 new beds within next three or four days. If hospitals lack space, the new beds can be kept in lobbies or wherever space is available,” Mr. Jain told PTI .
The move follows a tragic incident wherein the parents of a 7-year-old boy who died of suspected dengue after allegedly being denied admission by two prominent private hospitals committed suicide by jumping from a four-storeyed building in south Delhi’s Lado Sarai.
Mr. Jain issued directions to all DMs, SDMs and Tehsildars to closely monitor dengue cases in their wards.
The Minister also suggested that hospitals may postpone surgeries if possible to free beds for dengue patients.
“Hospitals have been asked to postpone surgeries by one month so that beds could be freed for dengue patients...our first priority is to treat such (dengue) patients,” he said.
The Minister accused the three municipal corporations of neglecting the work of mosquito control.
“We have got several complaints from people that the MCD staff do not visit their homes (for fumigation) which is unacceptable. The government will take strict action against those who do not work properly,” Jain said.
He said that checking the rise in dengue cases was his government’s first priority.
Meanwhile, some people tried stopping the vehicle of the minister at Sanjay Gandhi Hospital, where he went for an inspection.
They alleged that government failed in making proper arrangements for dengue patients.
The minister said “the number of dengue cases has increased. We do not deny that there are two patients on one bed but hospital staffs are working hard”.
“We are working more on prevention because not much has been done regarding this. People should get admitted to hospital only after consulting a doctor and not out of panic,” he said.
