As dengue cases surge, govt hospitals run short of beds
Hospitals in Punjab, especially Lahore, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are refusing to take in more dengue virus patients as they run out of beds, with cases of the virus surging across the country.
The beds reserved for coronavirus patients in Punjab's hospitals are being used to treat dengue virus patients, revealed a report.
A massive anti-dengue virus campaign has been launched in Islamabad to deal with the alarmingly high rate of cases being reported in the city. To deal with the worsening situation, Islamabad chief commissioner has urged all stakeholders to launch an anti-dengue drive in the city. Saturday was the second day of the drive.
According to a statement by Additional Deputy Commissioner (East) Babar Sahib Din, in the next four to five days, every street, in both rural and urban areas, will be fumigated. "Today, major market areas in F-6, F-7, F-8, G-6, G-7, G-8, as well as residential areas in G-10, G-14, I8, I-10, Rawal Town, and F-11, F-8, F-5 have been fumigated," he said.
In rural areas, Shah Allah Ditta, Turnol, Jhangi Sayedan Saidpur, Mehrabadi were among the targeted localities. Sahib Din said 20 teams had been constituted to lead the activity, which included staff from the Capital Development Authority (CDA), Municipal Corporation Islamabad (MCI), and other departments.
Of these, one special team is focusing on bus depots and another on mosques, where daily fumigation is ensured.
"All housing also been told to societies have
increase their fumigation activities," said the ADC. "A team is also tasked with a rapid response for areas where dengue cases surface," he added.
According to the ADC, the ICTA administration had also imposed Section 144 and legal action will be taken against anyone found letting water accumulate outside their residences. He said assistant commissioners had imposed 30,000 fines, while seven people were arrested, two FIRs registered, and seven premises sealed.
A large number of junkyards, under construction sites, service stations, tyre shops were also inspected, Din said. The DHO said Islamabad's suburbs had begun to report a rising number of cases.
Meanwhile, the Punjab government declared a medical emergency at the public health facilities in Lahore due to the rising number of dengue cases. The decision was made in a meeting chaired by the Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmeen Rashid, which looked into the challenge of preventing the rapid breeding of mosquitoes in the province and expressed concern over the possible deterioration of the dengue situation in the coming weeks.
The provincial health department also instructed all doctors on leave to return to their respective medical facilities to deal with the growing number of dengue cases.
"Recent rain spells coupled with humidity and a lot of construction work in some of the top neighbourhoods of Lahore, have provided a breeding ground for dengue that has engulfed much of the city and its adjoining areas," Punjab Health Secretary Imran Sikandar Baloch said.