October 29, 2008	Wednesday	Shawwal 29, 1429

KARACHI, Oct 28: Of more than a thousand dengue patients reported at different hospitals in the province, 358 were tested positive.

This was stated by Sindh Health Minister Dr Saghir Ahmed on Tuesday while issuing latest figures about the prevalence of dengue fever in Sindh.

He said two more patients were brought to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital in Karachi while four patients were discharged from different hospitals during the previous 24 hours.

He said that with the latest addition the number of dengue patients admitted to different hospitals in the city had risen to 18.

Dr Ahmed reiterated that all district hospitals had been clearly asked not to recover charges of any kind from patients with dengue fever.

He said that it would be ensured that such patients were provided free screening facility and platelets.

He pointed out that the Civil Hospital Karachi and Liaquat Medical University Hospital, Hyderabad, had been selected as the central treatment centres for dengue fever while mega platelets machines had been installed in the civil hospitals in Karachi, Larkana and Nawabshah.—APP