RAWALPINDI: Despite the onset of winter season, dengue patients are still reporting in government hospitals speaking volume about measures taken by the District Health Authority for elimination of the mosquitoes.

A senior official of the district administration told Dawn that the health authority started the dengue spray late after the end of monsoon in mid-September and it was the main reason the dengue mosquitoes could not be eliminated in low-lying areas.

He said Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) and Chaklala Cantonment Board (CCB) were also responsible for the delayed work to eliminate dengue larvae. Most of the people in cantonment areas were affected by the dengue virus.

He said due to the local government elections, the cantonment boards did not pay attention on the dengue spray and started the work after September 12.

“Cantonment General Hospital (CGH) failed to make arrangements for the dengue patients and as a result all patients reported from cantonment areas landed in the Holy Family Hospital (HFH), Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH) and District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital,” he said.

It may be mentioned that former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi had provided Rs570 million to the RCB for the renovation of the CGH to cater to the civilian population of the cantonments but the hospital failed to provide facilities to the dengue and Covid-19 patients.

On the other hand, a senior doctor at the HFH requesting not to be named said the three government hospitals had allocated beds for dengue patients. All Covid-19 patients were transferred from HFH to the Rawalpindi Institute of Urology (RIU) so that doctors could pay full attention on the virus contracted patients there.

He said mostly patients arrived from the cantonment area and low-lying localities adjacent to Leh Nullah and Islamabad. He said the dengue virus was still active in some areas.

Meanwhile, total four dengue patients arrived in the three hospitals on Friday, taking the tally to 3,772.

According to data of the Punjab government, one patient arrived at the HFH and three in at the BBH.

Besides, five patients were in critical condition. As many as 3,772 denguepatients reported at the three government hospitals in the current season - 2,000 patients at HFH, 1,201 at BBH and 571 in the DHQ hospital.

At present, 18 patients are admitted in the three hospitals - 13 in the HFH and five in the BBH.

Published in Dawn, December 4th, 2021