Dengue claims 6-year-old boy, woman; toll goes up to 11

Dengue menace continued to rattle Delhi with a six-year-old boy and a woman succumbing to the vector-borne disease, raising the toll to 11 today even as Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said his government was mulling bringing a law to enable temporary takeover of private hospitals during emergencies.
As hospitals across Delhi continued to be inundated with dengue patients, the Delhi Cabinet held an emergency meeting which reviewed the deteriorating situation. It also explored various options to ensure that private hospitals do not refuse to admit dengue patients.
The AAP government also announced 1031 as dengue helpline and asked private hospitals to increase number of beds.

Aman Sharma, a child from Srinivaspuri area of South Delhi died of dengue and his parents alleged that three private hospitals -- Max Saket, Moolchand and Batra -- refused to admit him citing unavailability of beds. He died on Sunday at Holy Family hospital in Okhla.
The boy's family also alleged negligence on part of Safdarjung Hospital saying it told them on September 9 that he did not have dengue. Aman died on Sunday at a private hospital.
Last week, seven-year-old Avinash Rout had died of dengue after being denied admission by five hospitals which drove his parents to suicide, triggering widespread outrage.

One more death of a 29-year-old woman due to dengue was reported in Lok Nayak Jaiprakash hospital. With this death, the dengue death toll in the city has risen to 11.

According to hospital authorities, the patient, a resident of north-west Delhi had come to the hospital yesterday evening and passed away within few minutes while she was being attended to.
Asked how government will run private hospitals in case their administration is taken over by it, officials said they are drafting a plan in this regard, without elaborating.
As cases of dengue continued to rise and inch towards the 2,000 mark, Kejriwal carried out surprise checks at Guru Teg Bahadur hospital and Dr Hedgewar Aarogya Sansthan in Karkardooma and later said private hospitals which refused treatment to dengue patients will not be "spared".

"It is heartbreaking. We have become blind in the race to make more and more profit. We shouldn't forget our humanity. Nothing would have been lost if the hospital had treated the child. Would it have affected their profit margin so much," he said.
Kejriwal chaired a cabinet meeting in the evening and issued directions to extend all possible help to dengue patients.
Delhi government directed all the schools to ensure that children came to school dressed in full sleeves shirts, trousers and salwar kameez for the next one month as a preventive measure to avoid mosquito bites.