Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital opens fever ward on mission mode

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Medical College Hospital (MCH) opened a special fever ward with 40 beds on Monday to battle the influx of dengue fever-affected patients. Ward 22 of MCH has been refurbished for the purpose and will be the first of its kind in medical colleges in the state. “Each bed has a mosquito net drenched with anti mosquito solution. Fogging also is being conducted here to avoid transfer of dengue fever to other patients. None of the patients are being made to sleep on the floor,” medical college officials said in a statement.

Officials said that toilets in the ward were being maintained with utmost cleanliness as patients will have to urinate frequently after consuming a lot of fluids. Health Minister K.K. Shailaja said that the staffers at the Medical College were working round the clock. Around 1300 people were appointed in Medical Colleges across Kerala, but there still was a paucity of staff at medical colleges.

The number of dengue cases continues to be alarmingly high in the district. On Monday alone, 775 suspected cases of dengue and 163 confirmed cases of dengue were reported in government hospitals. Most of the private hospitals have run out of beds due to the high number of fever cases. Meanwhile, health officials have appealed to bystanders of patients to avoid dumping food waste or plastic bottles into the drains of government hospitals.