Delhi Govt. all set to deal with Dengue, says Satyendra Jain

Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain on Tuesday asserted that the Delhi Government is all set to deal with vector-borne disease Dengue this year and none of the patients would have to deal with the issues related to its treatment and cure.

Jain told ANI, "Patients do not have to worry about cure and treatment. We will put 15-20 percent additional beds to use. This is something that even private hospitals can do. We will not only provide with additional beds but will also look after testing facilities and supply of medicines."

"Last year, we had constructed 350 free clinics. This year we will take up the number a notch higher. The Delhi Government assures that no one will face any issues during the treatments," he added.

Throwing light on the Delhi Government's preparations against Dengue, Jain stated that desilting of drains is going on and all the departments have been clearly instructed to clean all the drains before June 7.

"Instructions to the plethora of departments are pretty clear. They have been asked to desilt the drains and keep pumps: both fixed and mobile ready," he said.

"Efforts will be made to forbid water logging and if at all water logging takes place, we have guided Public Works Department (PWD) to get rid of the stagnant water using the fixed pumps within 20-30 minutes. Thousand pumps have been arranged by the PWD so far," he added.

Earlier this month, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal issued directions for a comprehensive plan to make the national capital mosquito free.

As per a status report of South Delhi Municipal Corporation, 80 cases of chikungunya and 30 cases of dengue have already been reported in Delhi in just four months since January 1 this year, even though the season for vector-borne diseases in Delhi is between July and December.

In 2016, Delhi saw its first ever chikungunya outbreak that affected 9,661 people. In 2015, 16,000 dengue cases were reported and 60 people lost their lives to the disease.