No let up in Delhi dengue crisis as death toll mounts to 21

New Delhi: A 38-year-old dengue patient died allegedly due to medical negligence, taking the death toll in Delhi to 21, as hospitals across the capital remained flooded with people down with the mosquito-borne fever, prompting the city government to order conversion of 55 dispensaries into ‘Fever and Dengue Clinics’ from Monday. As the city remained in the grip of dengue, the Union Health Ministry issued a fresh advisory to Delhi government to “intensify” measures to check breeding of mosquitoes after experts warned that the dengue situation may worsen in the wake of fresh showers. So far over 2,000 people have been affected by dengue in Delhi. Harish Chauhan, a resident of south Delhi’s Deoli village, succumbed to dengue at Batra Hospital. A 34-year-old woman from Kalyanpuri is also suspected to have died of dengue at Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital. Chauhan’s family alleged that two government hospitals did not extend proper treatment to him for dengue while for five days, Batra Hospital, where he died yesterday, treated him for liver infection. Deceased’s brother Mukesh Chauhan alleged that they took Harish to Madan Mohan Malviya Hospital on September 11 after he complained of fever and started vomiting but the doctors there asked him to go home after prescribing some medicines. [caption id=“attachment_2439782” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image. AFP[/caption] In the night, his condition deteriorated and he was rushed to Safdarjung Hospital where he was admitted in medicine ward. Mukesh alleged that though Harish’s condition deteriorated, no senior doctor came to see him despite repeated requests. “They threw the files at me and asked me to take him anywhere at my risk,” Mukesh alleged adding he was then taken to Batra Hospital where he was treated for liver infection “They treated him for liver infection for the first five days. On September 17. They told us he had dengue. His condition further deteriorated and he passed away on Friday,” said Mukesh adding Batra charged a hefty amount to hand over the body. Batra hospital said the patient was brought to the hospital with chronic liver disease. According to the medical superintendent of Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital, the woman who died this afternoon was a suspected dengue patient. Battling rising number of dengue cases, Delhi government today ordered that 55 government-run dispensaries be converted into ‘Fever and Dengue Clinics’ from Monday. Health Minister Satyendar Jain directed these clinics to operate from 7 am to 9 pm on all days, including Sundays and holidays, till further orders. “Based on the feedback about practical functioning of these 55 clinics, the government plans to increase the number of Fever Clinics in Delhi, to deal with the current situation in the national capital. “Staff will be deputed in these clinics in double shifts so that check-ups of people coming here with fever and suspected dengue complaints are done without any delay. These clinics will function in the dispensaries of Delhi government,” Jain said. Yesterday, Delhi government had decided to immediately increase 795 beds in 48 new private hospitals and nursing homes on a temporary basis by granting them provisional registration certificates for three months. Government has also added 400 beds to its existing capacity. PTI