Govt hospitals asked to open Fever Clinics
New Delhi: Delhi BJP on Monday attacked the AAP government and its health minister for “complete failure” in checking the spread of dengue and providing proper medical facilities to the increasing number of patients of the vector-borne disease in the city.
“Dengue has been spreading in the city and there is danger of it taking epidemic form but the Delhi government has completely failed in taking preventive steps to control the disease and provide adequate medical facilities to the patients,” said Satish Upadhyay, president of Delhi BJP.
Citing reports about lack of beds for dengue patients at Delhi hospitals, Upadhyay said buildings of two big hospitals were ready but the government had taken “no interest” in starting them. “In Janakpuri and Tahirpur, two hospitals of 1,000-bed capacity were ready but in its 7 months in power, Delhi government took no interest in starting them,” he said.
“Not only this, over 150 ambulances were rusting without any use while the scheme of Mohalla Clinic launched by AAP government was limited to just one clinic opened so far. All these pointed to the government’s and Health Minister’s inability to take seriously the health issues including dengue,” he added. BJP MLA and Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta too attacked the government and Health Minister Satyendar Jain for “failing” to control dengue.
“The AAP government announced 1.5 times more budget for health but the health services in Delhi have worsened further. The government and administration seem to have no control over hospitals regarding dengue. While private hospitals have not been properly directed by the government for effective control of dengue, its own arrangements have completely failed to meet the challenge,” Gupta said. Addressing a joint press conference at the party office here, both Upadhyay and Gupta also attacked Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for maintaining “silence” over an FIR lodged against former Law Minister Somnath Bharti by the police on the complaint of his wife.
“The silence of Chief Minister over the issue and his failure to provide justice to Somnath Bharti’s wife exposes his insensitivity towards women,” Upadhaya said. Further, he informed that BJP has directed all the three mayors of MCDs belonging to the party to launch a special sanitation campaign for controlling dengue spread. A special blood donation camp will also be organised on September 24, in view of paucity of blood platelets needed to treat dengue patients, he added.
Meanwhile, Amid rising cases of dengue, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain ordered all government hospitals to open ‘Fever Clinics’ at their premises to detect the disease at the primary level and asked top health and administrative officers to take preventive steps. Jain stressed that people should get admitted to hospital only after consulting a doctor and not out of panic.
In Monday’s meeting with district magistrates, all chief district medical officers (CDMOs) and regional health directors along with heath secretary and director general of health services, the minister said the priority was to ensure that there is no panic about dengue in the capital.
“For example, in Ambedkar Hospital, 426 people were hospitalised due to fever and out of which, less than 200 people tested for dengue. There should be no self medication among the masses. Self medication is one major problem. There should be no panic about the disease,” Jain said here. The health minister said suspected dengue patients should get themselves tested only in government hospitals as far as possible because test is free of cost and reports come within two hours.
He also appealed to people to leave the issue of admission in hospitals to the doctors and not insist on admission. “I have ordered all government hospitals that they should not refuse to admit dengue patients even if they have to treat two patients on a single bed. Admission of patients to hospital should be left to doctors,” Jain said.
Later in the day, Jain will have a meeting with commissioners of the three municipal corporations over complaints of the “lack” of fumigation or delay in ensuring of the same in residential and market areas here. Delhi government ordered that 1,000 new beds be bought to accommodate dengue patients in the wake of the suicide by the parents of a boy who died of the disease allegedly after being refused admission to several hospitals. (PTI)