Mohali Health Dept seeks IMA support to fight dengue

Tribune News Service

Mohali, October 28

Mohali Civil Surgeon Dr Adarshpal Kaur met Indian Medical Association (IMA) officials here today and sought their support in fighting the rising dengue cases in the district.

Dr Adarshpal Kaur also directed the private hospitals to report any suspect or confirmed dengue case to the Health Department so that remedial measures could be taken without any delay.

“The deadly disease can be controlled with the help and cooperation of all the stakeholders, especially private hospitals which provide services for dengue checkup and treatment,” said the Civil Surgeon.

She said private hospitals could not confirm dengue fever on their own if they did not have the ELISA test facility as the simple card-based testing might lead to false results.

“All hospitals need to send the suspect samples to the Health Department for confirmation,” she said.

She also directed the medical institutions and laboratories to follow the Government of India guidelines in treating dengue patients and desist from overcharging patients.

“There have been reports that a few private hospitals indulged in spreading dengue scare to earn more from patients. The hospitals should not get involved in such unethical practices,” she said.

Dr Kaur further said medical institutions had been asked to initiate an information, education and communication campaign to sensitise people on precautionary measures.

“There is no specific treatment for dengue fever. Prevention is the best treatment. If the symptoms persist, people should visit their health care provider immediately,” she said.

Meanwhile, one more person has succumbed to dengue fever in the past 24 hours, taking the total toll in the district to 30.

Eighty-five fresh cases also surfaced in the district in the past 24 hours, taking the total tally to 2,361.