The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued notice to the Principal Secretary, Department of Health and Family Welfare of the Delhi Government, over the dengue deaths here.
Supreme Court lawyer and human rights activist Radhakanta Tripathy filed a petition accusing the Health Department of ‘failing to control the dengue which resulted in hundreds suffering from the disease’.
Delhi reported the first dengue victim of the season on September 28. A nine-year-old girl from Sangam Vihar in south Delhi died at AIIMS after heavy bleeding and low blood pressure. “Tabassum, daughter of Zaved, was admitted to AIIMS on September 24. She died the same day due to dengue shock syndrome (DSS) - the most severe complication caused by the disease,” said a senior health official of the South Delhi Municipal Corporation.
Another death due to dengue was reported from Lok Nayak (LN) hospital in Central Delhi on Saturday, September 29, morning. Rizwan, a 38-year-old resident of Loni in Ghaziabad, died of low platelet count, four days after he was admitted to the hospital. With the rise in the number of dengue patients, the Health Department is not fully equipped with the medical facilities to control dengue, Radhakanta pointed out.
He requested the NHRC to direct the Delhi Government to act on a warfooting to control the dengue before it claims more lives and becomes endemic. He sought compensation to the family members of the deceased.
The NHRC asked the Principal Secretary to reply to it latest by November 20 in default of which the Commission may proceed to take such action as it deems proper.