RAWALPINDI: Government hospitals in the city received over 26 dengue patients from different areas within a week.

Despite spending millions of rupees on the anti-dengue measures, the disease is apparently getting out of the control of the health department. Many patients arrived in the hospitals from Rawal Town areas, including Dhoke Ratta, Raja Bazaar, Satellite Town and Rawal Road.

On Tuesday, four new dengue patients were brought to the Holy Family Hospital (HFH), Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH) and the District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital taking the week’s tally to 26.

The HFH received three patients from different sectors of Satellite Town, including Commercial Market, while one patient reached the BBH from Amarpura.

In the meanwhile, the HFH opened a dengue ward in the basement of its new building. Earlier, the dengue patients were kept in a separate ward of the medical unit.

The 75-bed ward has been refurbished and would accommodate 20 more beds.

A senior doctor told Dawn that despite the arrival of the dengue patients, the management failed to start fumigation on the hospital premises to protect other patients from the disease.

However, Dr Tahir Sharif of the HFH said the dengue patients were kept in a separate room but after the arrival of more cases they would be admitted to the newly-refurbished ward.

On the other hand, the medical superintendent of the BBH, Dr Asif Qadir Mir, told Dawn that they had already established a dengue ward where all the patients were admitted.

He said the hospital received another patient from the city area. He said during the last one week seven patients reported to the hospital. He said three patients were discharged and four were still admitted to the hospital. He said the hospital had received 18 suspected patients out of whom three were confirmed dengue cases.

Published in Dawn, August 26th, 2015

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