Dengue deaths: Toll touches 11, govt to take action against hospitals
New Delhi: The Union health ministry on Tuesday directed the Delhi government to take strict action against hospitals refusing to admit dengue patients and to rein in private clinics, as another child and a woman succumbed to the disease in Delhi, raising the toll to 11.
Aman Sharma, 6, of South Delhi’s Srinivaspuri, died of dengue and his parents alleged three hospitals — Max Saket, Moolchand and Batra — had refused to admit him, citing unavailability of beds.
He died on Sunday at Holy Family Hospital in Okhla. Last week, Avinash Rout, 7, died of dengue after five hospitals denied him admission, that drove his parents to suicide, triggering widespread outrage.
On Tuesday, the death of a 29-year-old woman due to dengue was reported from Lok Nayak Hospital. She came to the hospital Monday after testing positive for dengue in another hospital, but passed away in a few minutes as she was being attended to.
As Delhi battled its worst dengue outbreak in five years, CM Arvind Kejriwal said his government was considering enacting a law to enable temporary takeover of private hospitals in emergencies. “It is heartbreaking. We have become blind in the race to make profits. We shouldn’t forget our humanity,” he said.
