BENGALURU: Call it the Delhi dengue death effect, the state health department has decided to set up a team of officials to check if dengue patients are being given proper treatment in hospitals in the city.
The decision was taken at a meeting held by Health Minister U T Khader with his department officials here on Wednesday.
The team, which will be formed in a day or two, will visit each and every hospital. It will also check out if extra money is being charged for platelet transfusions, the minister told reporters after the meeting.
While platelet transfusions to dengue patients is free at government hospitals, the department has directed private hospitals to charge no more than Rs 850.
The team would submit reports to the department as and when they visit the hospitals and the department will take action against erring hospitals, if any, Khader added.
To a question, he said a Delhi-like incident has not happened in the city, and the department was only being cautious to prevent such incidents in future.
A total of 26,848 suspected dengue cases had been reported in the state as on September 15, of which 3,633 were confirmed cases with the city topping the list with 1,189 cases. While the city has recorded six suspected dengue deaths this year, four deaths have reported from the rest of the state. Similarly, 1,403 confirmed cases of chikungunya have been reported across the state.
Workshop for Corporators
The minister said the department is also planning to conduct a one-day workshop on health for the newly elected corporators of Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to make them aware of the locations of government hospitals in their respective wards and facilities available in those hospitals.
The role of corporators and the civic body in the event of an outbreak of vector-borne diseases would also be explained to them, the minister added.