In Delhi, Dengue patients put on priority as private hospitals cancel other surgeries

As the fears of COVID slowly begin to wear off, Delhi has to now gear up in order to curb the threat of dengue in what looks like nothing short of a pandemic. The national capital in the recent past has witnessed a high influx of dengue cases, as reports suggest that the caseload of dengue in New Delhi has breached the 1,000-mark. Citing the same, private hospitals are now cancelling scheduled surgeries to further prioritise dengue patients. 

Private hospitals make way for dengue patients 

Dengue infection in Delhi has seen an unprecedented increase with over 650 cases being recorded in the month of October alone. The vector-borne disease had claimed its first death in the month of September in Delhi after a 35-year-old woman lost her life. As cases of dengue breach the 1,000-mark in Delhi, hospitals have started making arrangements to increase the number of beds and other medical facilities. This comes as doctors witness cases of liver or organ dysfunction. Doctors have stated that individuals in the age group of 10 to 45 years of age are the most affected by the mosquito-borne viral disease. 

Private hospitals cancel planned surgeries to cope with rising Dengue cases

Reports suggest that most of the dengue cases have been emerging from the neighbouring states of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. As per a recent civic report from SDMC, 1,006 Dengue cases have been reported, while 154 cases of malaria and 73 cases of Chikungunya have also been reported in the National Capital.

A senior doctor at Delhi Apollo hospital told ANI, "This time, we have witnessed a significant number of Dengue cases. We have witnessed cases with liver dysfunction and a significant drop in platelets." To increase even a single bed, we need the government's permission. So instead of increasing beds, we had to cut down on planned surgeries to accommodate Dengue patients."

Vector-borne diseases like dengue, chikungunya and malaria have been made as notifiable diseases under the Epidemic Diseases Act. The notification makes it compulsory for all hospitals to provide real-time data to the government about any such case that they receive. The notification also claims that legal action will/can be taken against those individuals or institutions found violating adequate measures or not informing about the cases to the authorities.

Image: Twitter/@CseeThru/@DeveshVishwakarma