Dengue fever: Health Department to probe complaints of overcharging by private labs

Tribune News Service

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Amritsar, November 3

With 168 new dengue cases being reported during the last five days in the district, the total count has increased to 1,608. Officials of the district Health Department have stated that special teams have been constituted to probe complaints of overcharging by private laboratories and hospitals.

While the district has reported a record number of dengue cases this year, patients are facing problems like the shortage of hospital beds and overcharging by the private hospitals. While the government has capped the charges for dengue at Rs600, laboratories have been charging more.

Civil Surgeon Dr Charanjit Singh said: “A few complaints have been received and a Health Department team would probe each one of them.”

The administration had earlier asked the private hospitals to notify the Health Department regarding the number of patients admitted by them. While vernacular dailies have reported deaths due to dengue, health officials state that despite a large number of cases reported from the district no death has been reported so far.

The Civil Surgeon said if fever persisted for two days, the patient should get dengue test done so that treatment could begin in the initial stages. With a further drop in temperature in the next few days, the spread of dengue would stop.