Dengue: Private hospitals in Mohali told to increase beds

Tribune News Service

Mohali, October 21

To combat the rising dengue cases, the district administration here today asked the private hospitals to increase the “dedicated beds for dengue patients”.

“Don’t deny treatment to anyone,” Deputy Commissioner Isha Kalia told the managements of various private hospitals during a review meeting.

“If a private hospital doesn’t have enough beds for dengue patients, then guide them on further treatment,” she added.

Kalia also informed that a Google sheet would be generated for private hospitals to fill the data regarding bed availability on a daily basis so that the administration could be ready for any eventuality.

“This Google sheet will be made available on the district administration website – https://sasnagar.nic.in,” she said.

The DC also called upon private hospitals to assist the administration in dengue prevention activities like fogging, container survey and awareness campaigns.

Kalia, meanwhile, directed the health officials to identify the hotspots and speed up fogging.

Managements of various private hospitals were present in the meeting.

Listing out the measures to combat the spread of dengue, Kalia said multi-purpose health workers had been deputed for dengue prevention and raising awareness against the disease.

She directed the health workers to carry out regular checks, including at sites that have turned into breeding zones.

Kalia was accompanied by Civil Surgeon Dr Adarshpal Kaur and District Epidemiologist Dr Vikrant Nagra.

She also reiterated that card-based testing had been banned and only ELISA test was recommended for dengue screening.

If private hospitals have the facility of ELISA testing, they will continue with the practice. If they don’t have the facility, then samples have to be sent to government hospitals for testing, she asserted.

The DC also informed that the government had capped the dengue test at Rs600.

She said the district administration had announced a helpline number (0172-2219506) and email (sasnagarhelpline@gmail.com) for any enquiry or complaint regarding fogging and awareness activities.