After spurt in dengue-related deaths, Delhi government plans to penalise

But there too he was denied admission, as both the hospitals said there were no beds available for the young patient.

The move follows the suicides of the couple Laxmichandra and Babita Rout, who jumped from a four-storey building in south Delhi on Sept 10, after their son Avinash died of dengue two days earlier.

Aman was finally admitted to Holy Family Hospital, where he died on Sunday evening.

“In view of the recent upsurge in the cases of dengue, the Union Ministry of Health has ensured that the number of beds in the central government hospitals is increased”. “While private hospitals have not been properly directed by the government for effective control of dengue, its own arrangements have completely failed to meet the challenge”, Gupta said.

“The panic in people about the spread of dengue is leading to a huge burden on hospitals”.

“We might hold a special (Delhi) assembly session to bring in a law wherein hospitals that refuse healthcare to patients can be punished”, he said.

The decision was taken at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, to give all relevant information about dengue and its treatment. Also, with dengue cases assuming alarming proportions, Delhi government has also ordered all government hospitals to open “Fever Clinics” at their premises to detect the disease at the primary level. “We have also assured that whatever support they need will be given”, Health Minister J P Nadda said.

The Supreme Court of India had issued a judgment a couple of years back saying that no hospital can deny admission to a patient.

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia today issued mandatory directions to all schools of Delhi to ensure that children come dressed in full-sleeved shirts, trousers and salwar kameez for the next one month as a preventive measure to avoid mosquito bites. Of all civic zones in the city, Narela Zone of North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) has recored the highest number with 260 cases. According to municipal data, three more dengue deaths have been confirmed taking the toll from the virus this year to five. But this year, close to 1,500 people have tested positive already.