CHENNAI: The Institute of Child Health, Egmore overflowed with more cases of suspected or confirmed dengue from Chennai, Tiruvallur and Kancheepuram districts on Sunday.
The hospital received 21 affected children on Sunday alone and was struggling to accommodate beds for them. It has increased the bed strength from 30 at September-end to 80 after October 1, when fever cases spiked.
As on Sunday, the hospital had 51 dengue positive cases and five confirmed swine flu cases.
Meanwhile, there were messages doing rounds on social networking sites that the fever ward in the hospital was overflowing and two children were made to sleep on one bed. But, a visit to the hospital showed that the doctors made the patients wait for a little till they accommodated them, identifying vacant beds in the ward, on the ground and first floors.
The hospital opened the fever ward on the first floor also after cases started flowing in.
“On the ground floor fever ward, we have 35 beds. We extended the fever ward to the second floor also. There we have 45 beds. In the beginning of the year itself, we procured 300 beds. We are using those beds only now. If the second floor also fills up, then we will identify another room and accommodate children,” said Dr A T Arasar Seeralar, Director and Superintendent, Institute of Child Health.
The hospital also posted additional staff to manage the cases.
“We have posted postgraduate doctors and two assistant professors and dedicated staff nurses in the wards. They are taking care of the patients day and night," said Arasar Seeralar.
A doctor on duty said, “Most of the children are from Chennai, Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur districts. We have to make the patients wait for a few minutes till we identify the beds.”
The hospital has also received even eight- and nine-month-old dengue-positive children.
A 24-hour control room is also functioning at the Directorate of Public Health. People can contact the control room at 24350496 / 24334811 / 9444340496 / 8754448477 for any queries and complaints related to fever cases in their areas.
Rs 1 lakh fine for ignoring norms
TIRUCHY: A special team of health officials, including Additional Director of Medical and Rural Health Services Swathi Rethnavathi, City Health Officer A Jagannathan and others, who inspected the Gitanjali Medical Centre on Sunday imposed a penalty of Rs 1 lakh for its failure in following the directions of the Health Department.
Officials said the hospital failed in maintaining hygienic standards and mosquito breeding was found on its premises. Officials also said that the waste segregation was not done properly.