HYDERABAD: A division bench of the Telangana High Court on Wednesday warned the state government that it would face serious action if it failed to control the dengue epidemic within a month. Expressing displeasure with the health department and the GHMC over the steps taken to combat vector-borne diseases, the court said all necessary action must be taken, including using drones for fogging and identifying mosquito-breeding hotspots, particularly in slums.
The bench termed the authorities’ reports on dengue as vague and redundant, and said, “Statistics furnished by the health department and GHMC show that about 5,914 cases of dengue have been identified in just 22 days (Sept 1-23) this year, showing an increase of 200 per cent during the period, which is shocking and alarming. Why can’t the state government subsidise the cost of the ELISA test, which diagnoses dengue... so that every patient, irrespective of his financial position, can undergo this test? The government should seriously think of either increasing the number of laboratories which undertake ELISA test or subsidise the rate of the test.”
The bench, comprising Chief Justice Raghvendra Singh Chauhan and Justice A Abhishek Reddy, passed this order on a PIL filed by Dr M Karuna, complaining of inaction by the authorities to prevent the spread of dengue, and a PIL taken up suo moto based on a letter to the chief justice from advocate Rapolu Bhaskar, who pointed out lacunae in government hospitals in dealing with dengue and other ailments.
The petitioner’s counsel, K Pavan Kumar, argued that the officials concerned must be held responsible and saddled with criminal proceedings in case of dengue deaths.
Referring to news reports on the dengue menace, the bench asked the state’s advocate general (AG) whether private hospitals were driving away poor patients who were affected by dengue. “Find out the names of such hospitals,” the bench told the AG.
Advocate general BS Prasad said RDT (Rapid Detective Kits) tests were being used to identify dengue, but the results were only 80% accurate, and only 22 centres in the state conduct the test. He added that the ELISA test confirms if one has dengue, but it costs `3,500.
‘Why not subsidise ELISA test?’
The court asked the AG why the state govt could not subsidise the ELISA test, so that even poor patients could confirm if they suffer from dengue. It further directed the govt to raise awareness about the fever