Congress says Centre should meet Dengue medical test expenditure

Raising concern over the rise of dengue cases in the national capital, the Delhi High Court on Wednesday asked the Centre and city government to explain the steps they have taken to contain the vector-borne disease.

Terming it as a serious issue, the bench issued notice to Centre, Delhi government, municipal corporations and NDMC directing them to file a short affidavit before September 24.

He said he has ordered private hospitals in the capital to hire more doctors and increase the number of beds available for dengue patients.

Meanwhile, the government has directed private hospitals to increase bed capacity by 10 to 20% to deal with rising cases of the vector-borne disease and warned them of strict action if they turned away the patients. “The act of the hospital authorities clearly falls under section 306 (abetment of suicide) of Indian Penal Code”, the petition said.

The protest followed comments by senior Congress leaders critical of the central and Delhi governments’ handling of the dengue situation in the national capital. The death toll as per the official data stands at 5, while as the per hospital’s records, 14 deaths have been reported across the city till date.

“We are planning to come out with a law so that hospitals refusing treatment to an emergency patient can be penalised”.

Jain also advised people with milder forms of dengue to consult doctors, but to stay at home instead of adding to the burden of overstretched hospitals. The child who had fever was denied from being tested for dengue.

“The Delhi government is looking at the curative part but the work of prevention is being done by the MCD, which are ruled by the BJP”.

Aman was then taken to Safdarjung Hospital and later to the Holy Family Hospital where he died. The parents of one of the boys – an only child – reportedly killed themselves when he passed away after being rejected at five hospitals.