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No let-up in dengue cases

Staff Reporter

Major hospitals continue to see an influx of suspected patients

NEW DELHI: All major government hospitals in the Capital, specially the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences, continued to see a steady stream of suspected dengue patients on Wednesday from not just the Capital but also adjoining states. Most hospitals including LNJP, AIIMS, Guru Tegh Bahadur, Lohia and several private hospitals and nursing homes claimed to have screened double the number of suspected dengue patients this week compared to last week.

Increased awareness and prevalence of viral fever (which has some symptoms common to dengue) saw worried patients coming in for fever screening and "suspected dengue" treatment at hospitals putting under strain the medical infrastructure.

A senior AIIMS physician said: "All the patients that you are seeing in the hospital are not dengue positive; most of them are here to ensure that they can get their blood tested every 24 hours. These are patients who need not stay back in the hospital; however, perhaps their distance from the hospital and the fear of testing dengue positive keeps them here. Our laboratories and blood banks have been made functional round the clock and the resident doctors also held a blood donation camp to ensure that there was enough blood supply for the patients. We have 500 volunteers on stand-by for donation of blood in case there is a need for the same. Additional space is being made for patients, but we are appealing to patients to not panic and opt to go to a nearby hospital for fever screening and come to AIIMS if tested positive. Also the patient load has to spread across various city hospitals to ensure that patients get the best possible care."

Despite assurance from the Central and State Health Departments about dengue being under control and no cause for panic, the "dengue alarm" for the public is such that AIIMS alone has screened over 1,000 patients with fever in the past 48 hours.

Patients coming to various government hospitals meanwhile complained that they weren't being looked after well. However, most also added that they would rather wait for treatment at a government hospital than opt for a private hospital.

"We can neither afford nor rely on private hospitals for treatment. We have come all the way from Faridabad to AIIMS and cannot keep coming back to Delhi for tests/treatment, which is why we have decided to stay in the hospital. Though the rush is very heavy and doctors often don't get the time to visit each and every patient, I am sure to get blood and treatment in case my condition becomes critical. I know that dengue can kill and I don't want to take a chance," said Hema Rathore.

Several other patients admitted to various city hospitals with "unconfirmed" dengue echoed similar sentiments.

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