Reserve 5 per cent beds for dengue patients, Delhi Govt to hospitals

New Delhi: Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj held a meeting with medical directors and superintendents of various hospitals in the city on Monday and discussed protocols that need to be formulated on dengue amid a spike in its cases in the national capital. 

Delhi reported 56 fresh dengue cases in the past week, taking the tally to more than 240, according to a municipal corporation report on Monday. The minister said the health department has ramped up efforts to combat dengue and other vector-borne diseases in the capital, and as part of which he conducted a surprise inspection of the LNJP Hospital on Tuesday.

The minister added that he will inspect some schools on Wednesday to check the compliance of norms for full-sleeved clothing by students, and warned of action against schools found not adhering to the norms.

Later in the day, he held a meeting at the Delhi Secretariat with medical directors and superintendents of various hospitals and health facilities under the Delhi government, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), NDMC and Cantonment Board, as well as nodal officers for dengue prevention at Centre-run hospitals.

"We discussed what protocols need to be formulated to combat the spread of dengue... The way 5 per cent bed was reserved for Covid patients, similarly beds for dengue patients be also reserved. A fixed protocol be followed for testing and treatment.

"And, test reports should come in 6-8 hours, a separate area be marked for dengue patients, and medicines and test kits be available. No breeding of mosquito larvae be found on the premises of hospitals. If dengue patients are admitted, they should be kept inside mosquito nets," he told PTI Video.

Earlier in the day, the minister had said, "In Delhi and north India, the rainfall has started earlier than usual. Delhi received rainfall in April, May, June and July. There are indications that vector-borne diseases are increasing and even dengue cases are seeing a spike. All the hospitals have been directed to formulate protocols for dengue-like (they did for) corona (COVID-19)".

According to the latest report issued by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, the dengue tally was at 243 till July 28.

The minister added that he will inspect some schools on Wednesday to check the compliance of norms for full-sleeved clothing by students.

"All the schools have been directed to ask students to wear clothes with full sleeves and be fully covered. However, it has been observed that till now this order has not been followed at schools. Tomorrow (Wednesday), I will be going on a surprise inspection to some schools along with district magistrates. Wherever there will be lapses, action will be taken," he said.

Talking about the inspection at LNJP Hospital, Bharadwaj said "some things here were not according to expectations".

"I have called a meeting at 3 pm of medical superintendents and directors of government and MCD hospitals to issue directions based on the learnings of the inspections conducted so far," the health minister had said on the sidelines of the inspection.

Bharadwaj said he has directed the MCD commissioner to get fogging done using drones in areas with under-construction buildings and other places, adding that if there is a budget crunch, "we will provide".

The national capital is also seeing a rise in eye flu cases and Bharadwaj noted that schools have been asked to follow precautions.

"We have issued an advisory on eye flu but since it is not a serious disease, schools have been asked to inform parents that they should not send their children if they have eye flu. Schools have been asked to follow precautions," he said.

When asked about the Delhi services bill, he said, "All the Opposition parties have issued a whip to their members. We hope that we will be able to defeat it in the Rajya Sabha."

The Union government on Tuesday tabled a contentious bill in the Lok Sabha to replace the Delhi services ordinance amid vociferous protests by opposition MPs even as Home Minister Amit Shah asserted that Parliament is empowered to make laws for Delhi and termed the objection to it "politically motivated".

The AAP on Tuesday termed the bill to replace the Delhi services ordinance the most "undemocratic" piece of paper ever tabled in Parliament and asserted that it will replace democracy with "babucracy".